Magical
by honeybeecupcake
Summary: Claire returns to La Push after five years in California, and now she has a secret of her own. Quil has spent the last five years in agony without his imprint. When Claire arrives in Washington, she believes she is the only magical one. She is very, very wrong. When Claire and Quil come together again in their crazy, magical world, what will happen? (Please read & review!)
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, I finally decided to come back to this story after a long time! I love Claire and Quil together, and I wanted to start this again (:. Obviously, I don't own Twilight. Enjoy and please review!_

* * *

><p>2:49 A.M.<p>

That's what the clock read when I jolted up from dozing off on the sofa, my toes brushing against my sister's, who was sleeping peacefully on the opposite end of the couch. The windows in our now-empty apartment had been left open, and in rolled a warm and familiar California breeze, smelling fresh with salt. Just outside, the waves slapped gently against the Santa Monica shore and rolled out again.

I carefully peeled myself away from the couch without waking Julie, even though that was an impossible feat, and stared at the barren apartment around me. Everything was boxed up and stacked on top of each other, waiting for the move that we'd make later today. Just a week ago it had been full of wall decorations and scented candles galore.

Through the thin walls, I could hear our middle-aged neighbor shuffling around, his television droning on softly with some violent video game.

Tonight would be our last night in California.

I couldn't say I'd miss it.

"Julie," I whispered, and shook my baby sister's shoulder. Once this girl was out, it was near impossible to wake her up. She could sleep through anything. "C'mon, let's go to bed," I cooed at her, pushing a few pieces of her curly hair away from her face. She opened her eyes, giving me a sleepy, not-all-together-there kind of look, and just nodded.

I picked up the empty bowls of ice cream on the coffee table and closed my eyes for a moment. They floated out of my fingers and towards the kitchen sink, where they landed with a dull _clunk_. As I helped Julie up from the sofa, I made the faucet spout some water to rinse the bowls off. I pushed Julie towards the narrow hallway, where she stumbled into our bedroom and disappeared inside.

Before I went to follow her, I made my cellphone lift from it's place on the kitchen counter and land softly in my palm. I quickly dialed his number and anxiously waited to hear his voice on the other line. After a few rings, I got his voicemail. Normally he was up in the early hours like this.

"Hey, Quil. It's Claire. I was just calling to say it's almost three in the morning..." my voice got quieter and I plopped down on the arm of the couch, "And we're leaving tomorrow right after breakfast. Julie and me and have been up all night, watching one of her scary movies. I'm super tired, so I'm gonna head to bed. I'll see you soon. Love you. Bye."

I hung up and set my phone down, letting out a sigh.

Our orange tabby cat, Fatty, rubbed against my ankles.

I padded from the living room to the hallway, Fatty following not far behind, and stopped at my mom's bedroom door. I cracked it open and peeked inside to see her sprawled in her bed, arms and legs going every direction. She was supposed to have stayed up to have a soy ice cream party with me and Julie. But she was so stressed with work and life in general, she collapsed on her bed and passed out around nine. She looked so much younger when she slept. I smiled and closed the door again.

I stepped into my room, where Julie was already curled in bed, the covers pulled over her head. The room was strangely empty. Normally there was a thick layer of clothing spewed across the wooden floors, but everything was boxed and sitting in the corners. The mosaic of pictures and cut-outs from magazines that we had taped to our walls were long gone. The room was bare and white.

I climbed in my bed and turned off the light beside it, settling down in the mattress. Just as my thoughts were beginning to drift away, I felt someone get in beside me.

"Sleep over and Claire's," Julie muttered, snuggling in next to me. She pressed her cheek against my shoulder, "It's too empty in here,"

She felt the same.

I curled up and pulled the covers over our heads. We both liked to sleep this way. It felt safe and secure, somehow, underneath the covers. Like nothing could touch you when you were wrapped in its warmth.

I thought of Quil.

"Night, Jules,"

"Night, sissy,"

* * *

><p>Three thirty in the morning. The sky was dark and the stars shone like millions of crystals in the sky. There was a cold wind against my back, despite the fact that it was nearing the end of June.<p>

It had been a long night of patrol, and I was exhausted. We had chaseda few bloodsuckers all the way to Port Angeles. By the time we'd gotten back to the La Push limits, my shift was over. Jacob and I phased back, and I pulled the tattered jeans that I'd tied to my leg over my bare body.

Jake had just spent a month in the foggiest places of Europe with the Cullens. They wanted their hybrid girl to see the world, and of course he went with her. He spent every goddamn moment he could with Nessie, and I couldn't blame him. He always smelled like crap when he came back, though. I had gotten used to it over the years, now that we were allies with them.

The Cullen's had come down to their old house in Forks, after spending a few years in Alaska. They were just visiting the area again, staying for the summer and leaving again in the fall.

We walked out of the woods together in silence. My house was only a little ways away from this point. Jake was crashing on my couch for sure, I could tell he was just as exhausted as I was. He'd probably eat half my fridge and leave in the morning to go see the Cullen's.

Despite our silence, I knew what was on Jacob's mind. I had heard him thinking about it during out patrol, no matter how hard he tried to keep his thoughts away from me. But I knew he couldn't stop thinking about how his relationship with his imprint was changing, from big brother to love interest. He knew it was a touchy subject, and I was grateful that he kept quiet. Embry had imprinted not too long ago, and if I had to hear anything more about love, I might spontaneously combust.

My apartment was just down the street from the auto garage that me and Paul worked at. It was a small complex where the neighbors weren't nosy, no one bothered to even ask our names during the five years we had been living there. It was alright, a two bedroom since I roomed with Paul. But nearly half the pack crashed there on a daily basis. When we walked through the door, I wasn't surprised to see Seth curled up next to the Xbox, sound asleep.

I made a beeline to the fridge and pulled out two cans of beer, tossing one to Jake. The alcohol didn't do anything to us. Our bodies just burned it off. I popped open the can and took a long drink.

I picked off my phone and saw I had a voicemail from Claire. I eagerly pressed the phone to my ear and listen to her soft voice telling me they'd be here, in La Push, tomorrow. Just that soothed my nerves. She was coming home. My world was coming home to me. There was so much that I had wanted to tell her that I hadn't gotten to since she'd left for California, with that douchebag that was her mom's boyfriend. She didn't know about the whole werewolf thing. I had wanted to tell her when she was thirteen and could understand, but it didn't seem right to say it over the phone or in a letter.

I just wanted her to be safe. When she was just a kid, I'd patrol the wood around her house. I couldn't do that when she was two states away. The passed five years had been the hardest years of my life. In the first year, I barely had any control of phasing anymore. I would explode, break things. I was one pissy bastard. But was was I supposed to act when the one thing that kept me going, the thing I was so connected to, my purpose, was gone?

The thoughts swirled around in my head endlessly, and I was finally broken from my trance by Jacob. I set my phone down.

"You okay, man?" he asked, getting up from the stool at the breakfast bar and walking towards the couch, where he was most likely gonna camp out for a few hours.

"Yeah," I said, but I wasn't so sure, myself. I shrugged it off and went to the fridge for another beer.

Once Jake's face hit the pillow, he was out like a light. The house was quiet and I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I wasn't tired anymore.

I tried to stop thinking about her, but I was shit out of luck with that one. I had been without her for so long, and now she was coming back to me, to her family here in La Push. I had always wondered what it would be like when she came back. We had sent letters back and forth since she'd left, I had been the one she called as she went through her rocky teenage years, when she got her first kiss, when she started high school. I was there for her, even though we were miles away. Where would our relationship stand now?

I started to shake, and crushed the empty beer can in my hand. She was so close, and my emotions were stronger than ever. It was overwhelming, almost suffocating.

I walked out of my apartment and towards the trees that lay behind the building. I felt my muscles rippling, beads of sweat forming on my body. I need to run, to clear my head.

Then, I burst, shreds of denim flying everywhere, and chocolate brown fur now coating my body. My hands and feet turned into massive paws that carried me through the trees, my face stretched into a long snout. I snarled, and trashed through the forest.

Her face was still swirling in my mind, the face of the little girl I was so deeply connected to.

My Claire.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter_ _Two! Enjoy and review (:_

* * *

><p>My mother woke us around eight.<p>

She pulled the covers down from our bodies and pried Julie's arm away from my face. As well as her leg away from my lower back. Now I remembered why I rarely let Julie in my bed. She sprawled out just like mom did. She had take up most of the bed, and taken the covers with her. She was a blanket hog. No wonder I was so cold.

"Wake up, girls, today is a big day," my my mom stroked the hair back from my forehead, and I felt like a little kid again. She smiled at me when I opened my eyes. She was holding a cup on steaming herbal tea. Caffinated, of course. She smelled like lavender and chamomile, and her dark curls were still damp from the shower she had just taken. She twirled a piece of hair around her finger and turned to leave the room, "Julie, get your cute little butt up. We have a twenty hour car ride head of us,"

Julie let out a groan.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and touched the cold hardwood floors, where there was nothing to trip over anymore. A few of the boxed were gone from the room. My mother must have gotten up earlier than we had planned. She was always like that, never putting off what could be done. There had only been a few boxes in our room, anyway, just filled with me and Julie's clothes and other little things, like jewelry, posters, or CDs. All the furniture was going to be left where it was, since we wouldn't be needing it when we moved in with Gran. My mom had arranged some of her friends to pick it up when we had left, and take it to the Good Will.

I exited the room and went down the narrow hallway, my hand trailing against the wall. We had one bathroom that the three of us shared. I pushed open the door and didn't bother flicking on the light. The sun coming through the window was just enough. More of the bathroom essentials were packed up in a bag, I noticed.

I turned towards the mirror and smoothed down my bed head, without success. My eyes looked tired, from tossing and turning through most of last night. I just couldn't stop thinking. But I would be able to sleep in the car while my mom took her turns driving. We had decided that the two of us would drive in shifts to make the long drive to La Push bearable. Julie would get a few turns, too, since she had recently gotten her permit. My mom was taking the first few hours, so I would be able to snooze in the back seat.

I stripped from my pajamas and hopped in the shower, the warm water hitting my back. It felt good against my skin, but living in an apartment complex meant that the hot water wouldn't last long. As I rinsed the conditioner from my hair, the water turned icy, and I quickly got out.

I walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. I looked down the hallway to the kitchen, to see my mom scurrying around, packing up the rest of our things. Utensils and dished were floating around her and into a box, where they would be picked up by one of her friends, along with the rest of our things.

There was incense burning from its holder, filling the room with some Indian spice in my mom's attempts to 'level the energy'. She was all about that kind of thing.

I walked into my room, where Julie was still sleeping, face-down, like a rock. I shook her shoulder, "C'mon, Jules, it's nearly eighty thirty. We have to leave soon,"

She responded with something of a growl and turned the other way.

I crossed the room to the boxes that we had, full of our clothes. The first things on top seemed good enough. A pair of dark wash jeans that Julie talked me into buying when we had gone out shopping a few weeks ago.

"They're so cute!" Julie had said that day, holding the pair of jeans up to my face. I scrunched my nose. Minutes later, she had me in a dressing room, trying on the jeans, with a satisfied look on her face. "They look amazing. You're getting them," she demanded, looking at me through the mirror.

Julie and I were two completely different people. Julie was fifteen, but she had already been in more relationships than I could count. She'd had her fair share of boys, all of which she discarded quickly. Julie was a demanding girl, who always got what she wanted. She was stubborn, had a temper, and didn't mind being a one-woman operation. She was fiery, independent, and never seemed to know when to shut up. She said what she felt and marched to the beat of her own drum. It amazed me most of the time.

I was nothing like Julie.

Which I why I walked out of the store with those jeans.

I pulled them on along with one of Julie's floral tops. I squeezed on the pair of brown boots that my mother's ex-fiance had gotten for me, ones that I would normally wear in the winter time here in California. I knew they would be just fine in La Push. I turned and looked at myself in the full-length mirror we had propped up against the wall, and took a brush to my long, wet waves.

When I had finished, I helped my mother take down the rest of the boxes to our car, by hand instead of levitation so the neighbor's didn't think we were insane, and shoved them into the trunk and half of the back seat. When we got back inside, I could hear the shower running. Finally, Julie was up.

My mother stood over the stove, swaying her hips back and forth and singing softly to herself. She had some vegan bread in the toaster, and soy sausage sizzingly in a pan over the fire. She had been at this whole vegan thing for as long as I could remember, never letting anything with animal products into our home. One time, Julie had snuck in some chocolate, and my mom nearly had an aneurism.

Julie came out of the hallway, her short curls wet and bouncing against her shoulders, "Good morning!" she called, a smile on her face as she plopped down next to me at the table.

"Look who's awake and dressed," my mother said with a wink, setting down breakfast in front of us, and settling down with another cup of hot tea. She looked so tired, her eyes drooping. When she caught me watching her, she gave a quick smile.

"Gosh, I'm so excited to be moving back to La Push!" Julie said through a mouthful of soy sausage, "I barely remember it. I was like ten when we moved, right? Do you think everyone will remember us? Auntie Em and Gran? I mean, we haven't seem them in like five years! I wonder if there'll be any cute boys," Her feet her swinging under her chair with happiness.

"Just try not to eat up all the boys at once," my mother chuckled, taking a sip of her tea. She patted my leg and smiled. She was an extremely pretty woman, often mistaken for our older sister rather than our mom. She was tall and thin, with an olive complexion that was darker than both mine and Julie's. Her eyes were big and the color of amber. Dark curls rolled down to her shoulders, just like Julie's, and her smile was contagious no matter the situation. "Remember, girls," she said, suddenly serious, "We have to be just as careful about keeping our secret there as we are here. Even though Gran and Auntie Emily can do it, too, no one knows about our gift. We have to keep it that way."

Julie and I nodded, and our mother smiled. We all knew how people reacted when they knew about our secret. No of us wanted it to happen again.

Three years ago, when I was thirteen, strange things started to happen, with no explanation.

Julie and I had woken up one morning to find our cat, Fatty, had died. We'd had that cat since the move from La Push, and loved him dearly despite hsi gluttonous ways. As we cried, I wished more than anything that Fatty hadn't died, and that he would stay with us forever. A few minutes later, Fatty got up from his spot on the floor, and waddled over to his food bowl, as if nothing had happened. We were stunned. He's lived a fat and happy life ever since.

Then, a few weeks later, it was Julie's birthday. She had wanted a certain pair of shoes as her birthday present, and was unwilling to settle for anything other than that. She threw fits and fought with our mother about the ridiculously expensive shoes, to no avail. I sat at school that day, thinking about it and wishing how I could get them for her. When we came home that day, Julie walked through the door with the shoes she had wanted so badly on her feet, saying she had looked down in the middle of class and they were just...there.

About a month after that, I had gotten home from volleyball practice and was exhausted, dreading the walk up many flights of stairs to get to our apartment. I closed my eyes, felt a whoosh of cold air, and my stomach seemed to turn upside down. I opened my eyes, and I stood facing our front door.

By then, with the cat ressurection, the appearing shoes, and the transportation, my mother thought it was time she told me and Julie something she had hoped she would never have to. She had been supressing this from us in hopes that it would never reach us, so we could live normal lives.

We were witches.

So was Mom, Gran, and Auntie Em. Both my mom and her sister were non-practicing witches, to live out their lives as normally as possible. But with Julie getting her powers just a year and a half after me, my mother had to begin magic again, in order to train us. When my mother's fiance, David, the reason we moved to California in the first place, came home early one day to see me and Julie practicing our levitation on the sofa and armchair, my mother had to tell him our secret. The wedding was called off a few months later.

Even though being a witch was amazing and exciting, there were many downfalls to it. I later learned that my dad left because he found out and couldn't handle it, just like David. Uncle Sam didn't even know about Auntie Em. People just couldn't take it. They rejected it, and went running. I didn't even tell Quil when it happened. I didn't want him to think I was some kind of freak, like something was wrong with me, and have him leave me, too.

We finished breakfast quickly. After a once-over of the apartment and a half hour of trying to coax Fatty into his cat carrier, we had no reason to stay. All the things we were taking were packed in the car, and everything else that was staying was left behind. We stood in the doorway, the three of us, looking back at our old home. My mother ran her hand over my long, wavy hair. I wouldn't miss this apartment. I wouldn't miss California.

"Let's go, chickadees," my mother said as she put her arm around my waist, and snaked the other around Julie's, "This is good for us. Something new. We've been away from family for much too long."

She was right.

Julie had called shotgun, and I didn't mind. I settled in the back seat, leaning against the door, and didn't even looked back as we pulled away from the apartment complex. The lack of sleep was beginning to catch up on me, and my eyes started to feel heavy. I let them close and drifted off, despite Abba playing loudly over the car speakers.

"Claire. Claire, honey." I heard my mother's voice, pulling me out of my dreamless sleep. I sat up and peered out the window. She was pulling into a gas station, "Wake up, sleepyhead, it's your turn to drive,"

I nodded and unbuckled my seatbelt, feeling rested. We had been driving for around two hours now, two hours that I had slept through without disturbance, which was rare for me. I settled down into the driver's seat, my mom taking my spot in the back and closing her eyes to rest. I stepped on the gas and set out on the road again, and by that time, Julie and my mom had passed out. Julie's mouth was wide open, her legs trying her best to stretch out. I chuckled and put on some softer music. With only the sound of Julie's soft snores, Mom's even breathing, and Lily Allen's voice filling the car, I felt peaceful. The freeway was beginning to empty as we passed by agricultural fields instead of cities.

With all the quiet, my mind began to wander.

We were moving to La Push because Gran was sick. Auntie Em had been taking care of her for years now, by herself, but with ten year old twin boys, and another baby on the way, she need the extra help.

Gran was an amazing woman. She raised our mother and Auntie Em on her own, after her husband, who also had our gift, passed away much too early. She never gave up on anything, just like she wasn't giving up on life now, despite her sickness. It always felt like Gran understood me, like she could see right through me. She knew exactly what I was thinking, what I was feeling.

I still remember the devastated look on her face the day that we left La Push.

My mother's then-boyfriend turned fiance had gotten a job offer in California that paid much better than what he was getting in Washington. He was an engineer and a company in Los Angeles was granting him an amazing position. Then, he had only been living with us for a few months, but my mother seemed to be so in love. So of course, after much persuasion from David, we packed up everything and found a condo down there.

Leaving La Push was one of the most painful things I had ever experienced in my life. All of our friends, all of our family, they were there in our front yard that day, helping us pack up our old life and move on to the new one.

The pain on Gran's face was evident, as her first born daughter was leaving. I stuck close to her that day, breathing in her scent of mint and thyme and staying there while everything else moved around us. Gran took my hand and kissed my forehead, and went off to see my mother. She was blinking back tears with her long, dark eyelashes, and it nearly made me burst out in tears, too. La Push was where my life was. Everyone and everything that mattered was right there, on our front yard on that moving day.

I remember the thing that hurt the most, though. I looked at him from across the yard. He was leaning against the wall of our empty house, just watching me. He was always watching me, always protecting me, always there for me. He had been around since I was in pull-ups. He was my best friend. We hadn't been speaking much in the weeks leading up to the move, and I had seen him less and less. I walked over to him, into his outstretched arms. What I had needed most in that moment was Quil.

I pressed my face into his chest and let the tears flow while he stroked back my hair. He was so warm, and I felt so safe. I never wanted to leave him. He didn't say anything, he just stood there with an expression on his face that I couldn't quite place. I realized now that it was a mixture of devastation, pain, confusion, and a bunch of other things mixed together.

Before I knew it, my mother was calling my name. It was time to say goodbye.

"Bye Quil. I love you." I had said, my voice wavering and the tears flowing down my cheeks.

"Bye, kiddo," He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Then we were on our way to California.

Being in California was nice, for the most part. We were pretty happy. Julie and I spent hours in the sun, working on our tans, and we went to the beach almost every day. Quil and I sent letters back and forth, and talked on the phone almost every night. But when David found out about our secret, things turned sour. Mom was heartbroken. She took two jobs, and we had to move out of David's condo and into a cramped apartment. It was just the three of us again.

A fresh start was just what we needed.

I gripped the steering wheel and hummed along softly to the music. I started to think about Quil. Did he look older? Did he have a girlfriend I didn't know about? What would it be like to see him again? I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

I pulled into another gas station and turned to wake Julie. "Julie!" I whispered loudly, shoving her leg. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, but she was out. I continued shaking her, "Jules, it's your turn to drive," I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and smiled at her as she opened her eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'm awake," she groaned, rubbing at her eyes and pushing the passenger side door open. She walked around to the driver's seat and shooed me out. I filled up the car with gas, and then swapped seats with my mom, and monitored Julie's driving from the back.

After a few more alternating driving shifts, a million pit stops to pee, putting on jackets as the weather changed, and the gobbling of vegan snacks, I ended up with the last shift. I drove passed the sign, illuminated by the car's head lights, that read 'WELCOME TO FORKS', and I felt myself smile. It was drizzling outside. I rolled down the window a crack and let the cold air drift in, taking in the smell of rain.

The green was all around. Trees, moss, bushes. It was everywhere I looked, and it made me feel so at home. We weren't far from La Push now, and it was around four in the morning. I let out a yawn and held the map close to my face, not wanting to get lost. I was already drowsy with sleep.

After a few wrong turns, I drove up to Gran's house. It looked exactly the same. It was a light purple, with a garden full of brilliantly colored flowers and fresh herbs. I took the keys from the ignition, and patted my mother's leg beside me, "Mom, we're here,"

Her eyes fluttered open and we both climbed out of the car. She suggested we wait until we got some me rest to unload the car and unpack. Levitating in a bunch of boxes would take too much energy. However, we did muster enough energy between the two of us to carry Julie inside, my mother holding her arms and me carrying her legs. She was dead asleep when we threw her on to the couch.

My mom curled up on an armchair and quickly fell asleep, and I squeezed myself opposite of Julie on the sofa, our toes touching. Finally, we were home. The house smelled like cinnamon and rosemary and a number of other spices. I couldn't think about anything but how familiar the house smelled, and how safe I felt, as I pulled the blanket tightly around me to keep warm in our new home.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three (:! This one is all Claire again. The next two will be Quil, don't worry! Enjoyyy and review!_

* * *

><p>Another sleep without dreams.<p>

I woke up that morning to a bright, grey light streaming through the lemon-colored curtains. The clinking of china could be heard from the kitchen, and the quiet talk of voices.

I sat up and remembered where I was. I was no longer in our old apartment in California. We were in La Push, in Gran's house, where the smell of strong herbal tea was streaming in from the kitchen doorway. I noticed Julie had rolled off her spot on the itchy, yet comfortable sofa, and was sprawled out on the pastel rug, the blanket strewn around her body. I nudged her with my foot, but she didn't budge. Julie could slee all day if you let her.

I got up and wandered my way into the kitchen, where Mom and Gran both sat, holding hands over the table, and drinking cups of tea. I watched as the cream floated towards Gran's cup, poured, and floated back to its place on the counter. The kitchen was exactly as I had remembered. There were shelves filled with jars of spices, which I realized were used for spells and not for cooking as I had previously thought. The yellow tile felt cold against my bare toes, and there was still the stain where Julie spilled red nail polish years ago.

Gran looked up from her tea and towards where I stood in the doorway, and her face turned into a smile. Her dark eyes crinkled at the edges, and her full lips turned up at the corners. Her thin hair was the color of salt and pepper, and rolled down to her waist in smooth waves. Her skin seemed fragile, pale, and blue veins buldged out from her hands. She wore a string of pearls around her neck. She was beautiful, even in old age. She looked at me with knowing eyes, althought I didn't know what exactly she knew.

"Claire Elizabeth Young," Gran said, her arms outstretched towards me. I sat beside her and was enveloped in her arms, taking in her sweet smell. She released me and took my hand, "You are so beautiful," She stroked my long dark waves, and at that moment, as tears welled in my eyes, I realized how much I had missed my Gran.

"I was just telling Gran about our drive up," my mother said with a smile, setting down her cup of tea, "I'm gonna try and wake up Jules, as impossible as that is," She smiled and walked about of the room, leaving me and Gran together as she brushed my hair with her fingers.

"Claire, it is so amazing to have you home," Gran said, tucking my hair behind my ears, "I've missed you so much,"

"I love you, Gran," I said softly, and I couldn't help but smile. It felt so good to be home again. A light rain could be heard outside. Gran rubbed her thumb in circles in my palm.

"I love you, too, sweetheart. I'm so happy to have you home again. We've all missed you so much," As she said this, she got a strange look in her eye, like there was something she needed to tell me, but wasn't going to. "Tell me," she said, a mischevious look rising in her eyes, "How is your magic coming along?"

"It was shocking at first," I began, as the teapot and a teacup floated towards me and poured me a cup of tea, "Julie was more excited about it than I was, I think. I thought there was something wrong with me when I found out. Mom's been training us, and we've done a few spells. But mostly we just use raw magic,"

Gran nodded as I said this.

There's two types of magic, raw magic and spell magic. Raw magic comes directly from the witch herself, out of her own will and power. Spell magic involves recipes and ingredients, or a phrase that must be said so that the spell will work. My mother only had one spell book, which contained every spell ever created. It automatically updated itself with every new spell that a witch or wizard made. She didn't let Julie and I see it very often, and it was strictly for practice, not for recreation. Spell magic was very different from raw magic. It was more powerful, even dangerous. My mother didn't think Julie and I were ready for that. I didn't think we were, either.

There was a sudden pop, which made me jump, and Gran's old spell book appeared on the table in front of us.

"There are things in store for you here in La Push that you may not be ready for," Gran said, pushing the book towards me, "Some things will be good, and some will be bad. You're going to need to be prepared. Please, take this. I'm old and sick, honey. I have no use for this anymore. However, you are going to need this,"

"Gran..." I said, uncertainty in my voice.

"Trust me, Claire," All the certainty in the world was in her eyes.

I took the gargantuous book in my hands, which was surprisingly light as a feather despite the many yellowed pages filled with spells. What I would need it for, I had no idea. But I did trust Gran.

"Thank you," I looked into her dark eyes.

"Keep it in a safe place," she said with a smile.

My mother walked in, dragging a half-asleep Julie along with her, just as I set the spell book in my lap. She gave a big, toothy grin, "Look who I have!" Even though it had only been a few hours, the happiness on my mother's face had started a transformation. The furrow in her brow from stress had vanished. Her face was relaxed, and her eyes were bright and ready.

"Gran!" Julie shrieked, lighting up at the sight of our grandmother. She ran to her side and gave her a tight embrace, "Gran, I missed you so much! I'm so happy that we're home!" Her black curls bounced at she spoke, her words meshing together from the excitement, "Although I am gonna miss the sun and the cute boys. It's okay, though, I can deal!" She plopped down next to me with a smile and leaned onto my shoulder.

"Still the same Julia that I remember," Gran said happily, "Ohh, my girls. Finally, they've come home to me. Olivia," she turned to my mother, "Start some breakfast! But none of that soy stuff that you feed your poor girls,"

"That soy stuff is good for you!" my mom protested, but a smile never left her face.

After a nice, vegan-friendly breakfast, we began to unpack the car. The closest neighbor was a ways down the road, so we didn't have to worry about anyone seeing the floating boxes remove themselves from the back of the car and carry themselves into Gran's home

Julie and I stood outside, hands outstretched in the direction of the boxes, focusing on them carefully as we made them float into the air. One of Julie's boxes began to waver and shake, and nearly dropped to the floor. I pursed my lips together and the boxed stopped before it hit the ground, and rose again before travelling into the house.

"Sorry," Julie said, with a sheepish smile, "I guess I need to practice a bit more."

I smiled at her, "You just gotta get your mind off the boys, maybe then you'll be more focused,"

After the last of the boxed had floated their way inside, Julie have me a playful shove, and we went inside to unpack.

Gran's house was large, with enough bedrooms for all of us to have our own. This was the first time I had ever had my own room, and although Julie had called dibs on the larger room with the attatched bathroom, I couldn't complain. My new room had a huge window that overlooked the back yard, and the forest that stretched on just beyond that. The best view in the entire house, Gran had said. She was absolutely right. I look out the window, at the green trees and the grey sky. It began to drizzle again, and I cracked open the window to let in the smell of the rain.

I made up the queen-sized bed with new sheets, and put the majority of my clothes away in the closet. Gran's spell book was tucked away safely under my bed. I assembled a few of my trinkets on the desk not too far away from the bed. The music box my father had given me before he left, a digital clock, and the box of letters that Quil and I had been sending to each other since I left for California. I had every single one he had sent me tucked away in that box.

I opened the box and leafed through the many pages that were covered in his messy scrawl, smiling to myself. I wondered what he must be doing now, wondered what it would be like to see him again. The next day, there would be a barbeque to serve as our homecoming party, and everyone would be there. All my cousins, Auntie Em, Uncle Sam, Paul, Jared, Embry, Jacob, Seth, Leah, and Quil. I got a peculiar feeling in my chest. Were things going to be the same, even after all this time? Quil had been whatever I needed, whenever I needed it, even when it was just over the phone. Quil and I had a connection, ever since I was young. I don't remember when it started, but he had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. Quil felt permanent, like he had always been mine. And I had no idea why.

I picked up my cellphone and dialed his number, sitting on my bed. I listened to it ring a few times, and then finally his gruff voice sounded from the other line.

"Hello?" he said, sounding as though he had just woken up.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" I said, a smile rising to my lips.

"No, no," he said slowly, groggily, and then exhaled deeply. After a moment of silence, his voice came again, this time alert, and almost surprised, "Claire! You're home!"

I laughed, "Yeah, we got to Gran's earlier this morning. It's almost one in the afternoon, Quil, and you're still sleeping?"

"I had a long night," he said, and my mind wandered. A long night doing what? I felt my eyebrows furrow.

"Tell me about the drive up,"

"Well, it was uneventful," I said with a sigh, "But pulling into Gran's driveway was the best feeling in the world. So was seeing her. I missed her so much."

"Are you going to miss California?" he asked, and I was quiet for a moment.

"No." I said with certainty in my voice, "I never felt like I belonged there."

"And you feel like you belong here?"

"Yes." I said, leaning back into the pillows of my bed.

"It's great to have you back, kiddo," Quil said.

"I can't wait until the barbeque tomorrow. It's going to be so strange to see everyone again,"

"Why? Are you scared to see my hideous face?" he said, a playful tone in his voice.

"Obviously," I joked back.

We laughed together. It was so easy to talk to Quil.

I had wanted to talk longer, but he had to go to work at the car repair shop. He said he'd call me later, and I hung up the phone with a click. I let it drop to my side, and let out a sigh.

After a long, hot shower, I spent the rest of the day cutting out pictures from magazines and creating a new collage of them on one of the eggshell-colored walls. I wandered downstairs in time for dinner, and sat outside on the front porch with Julie, watching the sky turn dark and fill with stars. Fatty the cat lay next to us, curled up into a ball of pudge.

"I can't believe there's really that many stars," Julie said while I braided her hair, "The sky is so much prettier here,"

"Mhmm," I hummed, and twisted the elastic in her hair, "It's really beautiful,"

"My hair? Oh, thanks!" she said playfully, and I gave her a loving shove.

"Do you like it here, Julie?" I asked, smoothing out her braid.

"I guess so. I kinda miss our apartment," she leaned over and stroked Fatty's back. The orange cat meowed at her and narrowed his yellow eyes. "It just feels weird being back here after all this time, y'know? It feels like nothing has changed."

I nodded in agreement.

"But it's nice to be around someone else who understands our secret," Julie said, leaning back into me.

"Yeah, I think Gran is gonna teach us a lot."

"Girls!" called my mother from inside, "Come here, I've got something I wanna show you!"

Julie and I looked at each other, and made our way inside.

"In here, chickadees," my mother said from the living room. She was sitting on the dark green sofa with an old broom in her hands, and a big smile on her face. Gran sat beside her, her hands folded in her lap, waiting for us to come in.

"A broom?" I said, confused.

"Excited about the cleaning?" Julie said with a laugh.

"No, this is my old broomstick!" our mother said, "I used to fly over the treetops with this thing. I nearly gave your Gran a heartattack when I was young, I would always stay out late riding around the town, looking at everything from above," Her voice sounded wistful.

Julie broke this moment of nostalgia with a loud, "Ooooh! Witches can do that? We can ride brooms? Like Sabrina the Teenage Witch? Like Hermione? No way!" She rushed towards my mother and sat in front of her on the rug, "Can me and Claire fly on it? Please, please, please?"

"Well, that's what your Gran and I were gonna teach you tonight!" Mom said, and stood up from the couch, "C'mon girls, let's go out back,"

The four of us made our way to the back yard. Gran snaked her arm through mine and gave me a smile. Julie bounced up and down with excitement, her black curls bobbing along with her. We all watched as our mother mounted her broomstick, and closed her eyes.

The air around us got very cold, and my mother's curls began to float around her. Her feet began to rise, and she hovered in the air, a few inches off the ground. She opened her eyes and frowned, "C'mon, you old piece of..." She muttered to herself and gave the broom handle a good whack with her hand. She began to rise higher and higher into the air, and was soon zooming around the backyard, a smile never leaving her face.

I watched in amazement as Julie cheered her on. It felt unreal, watching as my mother soared on her broomstick. She touched down in front of us, and hopped off.

"Now who wants to try next?"

"Meeeee!" Julie yelped, and ran to our mother's side.

I watched carefully has my mother told her the proper way to ride a broomstick. Sit more towards the back of the broom, towards the bristles, right hand in front of the left, grip the handle tight and don't let go, feet firmly on the ground. And then, the most important part.

"Use your magic. Focus. Focus on raising the broom and yourself as one," my mom coached.

Julie's face scrunched up and she closed her eyes. Her curls began to float around her head, and her feet rose a few inches off of the ground. She hovered about a foot in the air, before falling to the ground with a thud.

We practiced around the yard for about an hour, and soon enough, Julie could make a lap around the yard, I was able to zoom around, go up high and come back down, just like my mother had. The cold air on my face felt good as raced against it. I had never felt so light and free. Maybe being a witch wasn't all that bad when you could fly.

"Mommm," Julie began, "Can Claire and I go fly a little farther? Like into the forest? Just for a little while? Claire is really good at flying and I promise we'll be back before you know it! Pleeease? I don't wanna stop flying, it's so much fun!"

My mother gave her a look, "I don't know, Julie, you could use some more practice..."

"Please, Mom! It's super dark and no one lives out here, so we'll be safe! No one will see us! And Claire will be the one in control the whole time!" Julie whined.

"It would be really fun," I admitted with a smile, "and I promise to keep us both safe,"

"We just wanna explore a little bit," Julie said, and gave our mother her puppy dog eyes, "Please?"

Our mother sighed, "Fine! But be back by ten thirty, no excuses."

"Be careful, girls," Gran said, gripping my mother's hand, "Fly safely,"

"Let's go!" Julie said, hopping on to the end of the broomstick. I got on in front of her, and she wrapped her arms around my waist. I gripped the broom handle, right hand over left, and closed my eyes. I felt my hair tickling my face as it rose up, and suddenly my feet were no longer on the ground. We rose higher and higher, until we could see the tops of the trees. My heart was pounding in my chest, a grin on my face.

"Ten thirty!" my mother called as we rode off towards the forest.

There is nothing that can compare to flying. The icy windy caressed my face and the trees passed by us in flashes of green. It felt like nothing could touch me while I zoomed around on the broomstick, like I was invincible. I slowed down, and we drifted through the forest, watching as the leaves went by. It was so quiet, so peaceful, so exhilirating. At that moment, I was happy to be a witch.

Gran had been right. La Push was already throwing new things my way, and this was definitely a good thing. Travelling through the forest of La Push, I had never felt so right. Like this was what I was meant to be doing, riding around on a broomstick in my hometown.

"This is so amazing," I said quietly.

"I know!" Julie agreed, squeezing her arms around me.

We floated around like that for a little while longer, when the sky became clouded. The stars disappeared behind rain clouds, and heavy raindrops began to fall. The broomstick became harder and harder to control.

"It's raining so hard!" Julie called to me as I nearly dodged a tree branch. The broom wasn't cooperating.  
>"The broom isn't used to flying in this weather!" I called back, trying to turn around and fly in the direction of home. The broom disagreed with my directions, and jolted. Suddenly we were spinning in circles, Julie and I both screaming. The broom slammed against the trunk of a tree, and we were sent flying from it.<p>

I landed on my back in the cold, wet dirt of the forest, the wind momentarily knocked out of me. I lay there, panting for a moment, before sitting up. Where was Julie? Where had the broom gone? I filled with worry, my heart pumping hard against my chest.

"Julie!" I called into the forest, through the rain, which was beginning to ease up now that we had fallen. Great. "Jules, where are you?" I screamed.

I stood up, and a zing of pain travelled to my leg. I looked down to see the knee of jeans torn, and a nasty scrape, blood soaking into the denim. Besides my knee, I only had a few other scratches, and was focused on trying to find Julie and the broom. My mom was going to kill me for not keeping Julie safe. And what if her broom was splintered?

Millions of worried thoughts race through my mind as I stumbled through the forest. Mud covered the toes of my boots and my hair was damp.

"Julia!" I yelled. My voice echoed through the trees and I received no response back. What if she was really hurt? What if I never found her?

My racing thoughts were silenced as I stumbled over a tree root and landed in the dirt again. My knee stung and I let out of a breath in pain.

When I looked up, there stood a huge animal in front of me. My chest tightened and I gasped. It was covered in chocolate brown fur, with dark brown eyes. At first it looked with a bear, but as it moved towards me, it moved with grace and precision, barely making a noise. It sniffed with its large snout, and another monster, this time a russet brown color, appeared in the trees just behind it. As it got closer, I froze, unable to move.

It was a gigantic wolf.

I thought I was going to die.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi everybody, if there even is anybody reading this story! I was so excited to write this part, because it's Quil (: and it's really fun to write in his perspective. A little warning to everyone, Quil drops and F bomb in this one. Sorry if it offends anyone. Enjoy and please review!_

* * *

><p>I phased back around five in the morning after a long run, and made my way back to my apartment. When I cracked open the door, the couch where Jacob had fallen asleep was empty. So was the spot where Seth had fallen asleep by the Xbox. Jake must have gone to visit his bloodsuckers, and Seth was out on patrol with Jared and Embry.<p>

I walked down the hallway to my bedroom, where Paul's heavy breathing could be heard through the thin walls. I flopped down on to my bed, the bed frame squeaking in protest to my weight. My eyelids began to droop as I buried my head into the pillow. The run had worked. It hadn't necessarily cleared my head, but it made me too tired to think about anything else.

I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

That is, until I woke with a start. My phone was sitting on the nightstand, vibrating like crazy, making a loud _buzz buzz buzz_. I swatted around in the direction of the buzzing noise, but only succeeded in knocking the bed-side lamp to the floor. The buzzing continued on and on.

I groaned and grabbed the buzzing phone, mashing the buttons and pressing it against my ear, "Hello?" I said, my voice thick with sleep.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" came her soft voice from the other line. I felt myself smile. Maybe I was still dreaming.

"No, no..." I trailed off, rubbing my hand over my face. I looked towards the clock that was place against the wall. One thirty. I sat up with a start, "Claire! You're home!" It wasn't a dream. It was really her, calling me from her grandmother's house. She was in La Push limits. She was back home.

She laughed, and I couldn't help but laugh, too.

We talked about her homecoming for a while, and I looked at the clock again. One forty five. As much as I didn't want to end our conversation, I had to get to work down at the body shop for my shift that started at two. When I told her this, I could hear the sadness fill her voice. She never liked it when I had to go, even when she was little. She used to throw herself on the floor crying if I didn't stay by her side. I grinned at the memory.

"I'll call you later," I promised her.

When we hung up, I dragged myself out of bed and threw on my work uniform. A blue jumpsuit that I didn't pull up all the way, and a white t-shirt that became easily stained from car grease and oil. Working as a mechanic didn't pay much, but it was just enough for me and Paul to split the rent on the apartment and pay for groceries when we weren't stopping at Sam and Emily's to get a bite to eat.

I walked through the living room, where Seth was now sprawled out on the couch, and into the kitchen. I scarfed down half a left-over pizza and drank most of the milk in the carton before heading out the door. The body shop was only a few blocks down from the apartment complex, and I got there with five minutes to spare.

I easily caught the wrench that Paul launched at my head from across the shop.

"Hey, man," he said while rummaging through a tool box, "You slept in this morning,"

"Yeah, I guess I did," I said, decided not to explain myself. He already knew why. The entire pack knew about my dilemma over the last five years. They knew how much pain I had suffered through, how I could never get Claire off of my mind.

"At least she's home now," Paul said with a shrug, turning back to working on an engine.

He was right. At least she was home now. I would see her tomorrow at the Sam and Emily's house for the homecoming barbeque. Just thinking about it seemed unreal. After living five years without my imprint, having her so close seemed impossible. She was only a day away. I had no idea what to expect when we saw each other. The last time I saw her, she had been a string bean of an eleven year old. She was sixteen now, almost seventeen, and a young woman. And what would she think of me? I had decided to stop aging when I hit twenty two, and hadn't changed since.

I sighed and slid under one of the cars we were supposed to be working on, which needed its brakes replaced. I focused on the job at hand, instead of the numerous possibilities that ran through my mind.

Hours of work passed, and when the clock struck eight, we were free to go. I wiped my hands on my shirt, smears of black running down the fabric, and examined the grease that was lodged under my fingernails. You could always tell how hard you worked by how dirty your hands were. I had worked pretty damn hard that day.

Paul and I closed the garage and made our way to his run-down car, parked just outside. We both had the same idea. His car putted along the road to Sam and Emily's, where we would stop and eat before going on the next patrol. We drove in silence, mostly, and this is what I liked about Paul. He had enough problems to deal with himself, that we rarely talked about mine.

We pulled up the dirt drive to the little brown house. I could already smell whatever Emily was cooking up in their little kitchen by the time we reached the door. It was unlocked, and we stepped in. Emily was like that, always expecting one of us to walk through the doors, ravenously hungry. She was always prepared.

"Hi, Em," I called out as we stepped through the doorway. I could hear her shuffling around through one of the kitchen drawers. Emily was always trying to keep herself busy, even more so now that she was farther along in her pregnancy. When we stepped into the kitchen, the smell of freshly grilled chicken wafted it's way into my nose, with a hint of lemon and rosemary.

"Hi, boys!" Emily said, still rummaging in the drawer, "There's some hot chicken on the stove, I thought you boys could use something healthy to eat every now and then..." She trailed off, and grabbed a whisk. A victorious look came to her face, "Here it is! I'm craving flan, so I decided to whip some up, but I couldn't find the whisk at first,"

I smiled as she turned around with hand on her bulging stomach. She was due to have a baby girl in September, and she couldn't have looked happier. Her face was glowing, and she was always smiling, despite the permanent grimace on her face.

"Did you boys just get off work?" Emily asked, smoothing back few hairs that had gotten loose from her braid. She began to whisk together eggs and cream in a bowl, "It's almost time for your patrol then. Seth and Embry should be back soon. Sam's out, too."

Paul and I nodded and began to dig into the chicken, swallowing down the breasts and thighs. It was almost time for our shift, and Jacob and Leah were due to turn up at any minute to come with us.

"I got a call from my sister today," Emily said in my direction, looking at me through her eyelashes, "They got back early this morning, and are settling in now. The girls seem pretty happy," Emily knew how hard it had been for me. She used to insist Claire came down to the rez almost every weekend when she was little, up from her old house where her father lived before her parents split, just so I would be able to see her. She knew how much I cared for her niece. "How are you holding up, Quil?"

I shoved a piece of chicken in my mouth and gave a muffled, "Fine." I didn't like to talk about it. Talking about it made me start thinking about it, and thinking about it hurt more than anything I had ever experienced.

"Jake and Leah are here," Paul said, and we both listen to Jacob's car groan down the road as they approach the house, "Let's go wait for them out back,"

"Thanks for everything, Em," I said as we went out the back door, ducking under the doorframe that was much too low for any of us to pass through without crouching. In reality, I was thanking her for much more than the grilled chicken she had made for us. I think she knew that, too.

When we hit the treeline, I pulled my shirt over my head and kicked off my sneakers. The blue work jumpsuit fell from my waist to the floor, where I quickly wrapped it around my leg. I had already destroyed so much clothing with my nearly uncontrollable phasing over the years. I tore up my favorite jeans just yesterday. I didn't need to rip anything else to shreds.

I started to run deeper into the trees, and felt my body changing. My back muscles stretched and chocolate brown fur erupted from all over my body. My bare, digging into the moist dirt as I ran became taloned paws.

I was a wolf.

_Here come Jake and Leah,_ I heard Paul think, not too far behind me. There were other things running through his mind, too. Angry thoughts. It seemed like Paul was always pissed about something.

I could hear them not far behind, their paws crunching in the fallen leaves and forest ground. The sound was so soft, it could have been a wind rustling the leaves of the trees. Sudden they were beside us. I could hear them both in my head.

_Seth said there were some bloodsuckers not too far from here,_ Leah's voice entered my mind, _But nothing we can't handle._

More bloodsuckers. Last night we had chased one all the way down to Port Angeles. Things had been relatively quiet for the last few years, after the Cullen's had left for Alaska. There was only the occasional bloodsucker passing through. But now that they were back, living in their old house, they were attracting all sorts of their kind.

_You're right, Quil. _This time it was Jacob, _Leah, Paul, you guys are gonna be staying more around the border. Most of them have been passing through Forks and trying to go through the rez. Quil and I will be monitoring here tonight. If you find one, you all know what to do from there. Go._

Jacob was our alpha now. Whatever he said had to be done. Leah and Paul made their way towards the West, towards the ocean, where they would run down to the border. Jake ran ahead of me, and we both went deeper into the forest. With Leah and Paul taking care of the border, we could start from the center and work our way out.

As we ran, Jacob's thoughts passed through my mind. He had spent the day with the Cullen's, with his hyrbid girl. Bella's laughing face, Rosalie's usual snarky comments, Nessie's pale skin, her rosy cheeks, the way she slipped her hand into his...

_Sorry,_ came his voice, _I can't help it._

I let out a snarl and we continued running.

So, I was jealous. I mean, before I had imprinted on Claire, I had to listen to Jacob going on about Bella, and then Jared's nonstop thoughts about Kim, and now Paul with Rachel. It had all been obnoxious, almost nauseating. But when I saw the little two year old waddling down Emily's hallway, in her striped leggings and her polka dot dress, everything changed. I became the nauseating one, wondering what Claire had for lunch that day, whether or not her potty training was going okay. Then as the years passed, I worried about how she was transitioning into junior high, how she was handling puberty. And then, over the past five years, worrying if she was just doing okay in California.

I wasn't jealous of the romantic relationship that Jake and Nessie were starting to have. I couldn't even think of Claire in that way. She was just my little girl. She was the one I was meant to protect. I would be whatever she needed, whenever she needed me. If our relationship began to change in the way that Jacob's was, then it would. But for now, I was her best friend.

I mean, I had dated girls. A lot of girls. But nothing ever felt right. I had been in a few relationships where things started to get serious, but I could never bring myself to commit to them. It's because I was already committed. To Claire. I couldn't take myself away from our friendship, even if I tried.

I was jealous of the time they spent together. I was jealous of the way Jacob never felt like he was missing something, like there was a gaping hole in his chest because his imprint wasn't there with him.

_Jeez, man_, Jacob chuckled, _You're one screwed up bastard._ He had heard all that.

_Pretty much, _I laughed back.

Then I heard a scream.

Two screams.

I met Jacob's eyes with my own, and we took off in the direction of the girls' cries. It was two girls, but I couldn't hear any footsteps. They weren't moving. Besides their screams, it sounded like there was no one there at all. I could only hear the rain hitting the leaves from above, and our breathing as we ran.

Then there was a crash.

And a thud.

Someone exhaled sharply, and suddenly their scent filled my nose. Sweet, not the sickly sweetness of blood suckers, but sweet like walking through a field of flowers in bloom. I could smell vanilla and cinnamon, and something else I couldn't put my finger on. Something that didn't smell...human. But everything else, it was so familiar. I knew this scent. But how?

_Stop_, Jacob ordered, and our running came to a halt. We stayed hidden behind the trees.

There was a girl, in between the trees. Where had she come from?It seemed as though she had fallen from the sky. We watched as she pulled herself up from the ground and began to stumble around.

I could smell the bitter scent of her blood. It mixed with her natural aroma, the cinnamon, the vanilla, the scent that I didn't even know how to describe. I knew this girl.

Then came her voice.

"Julie!" she called out. She sounded desperate, worried, scared. I would know this voice anywhere.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

Her foot caught and a tree root and she fell, making a groan in pain when she hit the dirt. My heart stopped and I moved forward from my spot in the trees, forgetting where I was, forgetting about the world.

It was her.

She looked up at me from her spot on the forest floor, with big hazel eyes. Her dark hair was stuck to her face from the rain. I could see the light freckles that dotted her nose and the apples of her cheeks. She was small and petite. I could see her frail shoulders shivering in the cold of the rain. She looked so grown up, so beautiful, but I could still see traces of the little girl within her. My little girl.

She gasped, and fear filled her eyes.

Fear of me.

_Quil, get back!_ Jacob's voice was stern. I couldn't object to his order.

"Claire!" came another girl's voice, somewhere beyond the trees. When Claire's head turned in the direction of her sister, I felt my body move, retreating deeper into the forest. I knew Jacob was not far ahead of me. She hadn't seen us leave.

We came to a stop when we were far away enough to be hidden by the forest, but still able to hear Claire and Julie. I couldn't stop thinking. What were they doing out here? It was almost eleven at night. How did they even get out here, this deep in the forest? I was so worried, but so relieved. She was here. Close to me. It felt like taking a breath of air after being underwater for much too long.

"Julie!" Claire cried, this time the worry in her voice had vanished, "Julie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just have a few scratches," her sister said. I could hear the rustling of clothing. They must be hugging.

"Thank goodness," Claire breathed out.

"I have Mom's-" Julie was cut off.

"Thank God it's not broken," she said, relief in her tone. She sighed, "We have to get home. Mom is going to kill both of us."

There was some shuffling around in the dirt, and then a whoosh of air. I couldn't hear them anymore, not even their soft breathing. It was like they had never been there at all. How? They were much too far from their grandmother's house to get there by foot. I couldn't hear any footsteps, just the rain that had began to ease up as it hit the tree tops, the hoot of an owl not too far away.

_What the hell were you thinking? She saw you!_ Jacob's voice made his way into my head.

She saw me, and she had been terrified. It was because I hadn't been thinking at all. Seeing her there had been so surreal, like it wasn't really Claire, but the ghost of her. But in that moment, when I looked into her eyes, my whole world came together again. Everything that had ever been missing in the last five years, disappeared. I had forgotten what it felt like to feel joy in that way. The joy of just seeing her face.

Jacob understood.

He gave me a few minutes to calm myself down before he suggested we moved to where the two girls had been, to inspect the area, make sure they were okay if they were even there. We smelled the trees, and followed their scent to the where it had started. It was like they had risen from the dirt, made their way to each other, and just vanished.

_They're gone,_ I thought, and heard Jacob grunt.

_Their scent...It's so strange. What is it?_ We both took a long sniff and came up with no answers.

We moved on slowly from that point, and continued the patrol of the reservation. I couldn't get her face out of my mind, how right it felt to have her in front of me again. But how had they gotten there? How did they leave so suddenly without us noticing? And their strange scent. It had been stronger on Claire than it had been on Julie. It was a sweet, almost tangy smell, something I had never come across before. I had so many questions. I wanted more than anything to get home and call Claire, to see where she was, to see if she was alright. But there was a whole reservation of people to protect.

The rest of the night passed by with no trouble. We met with Leah and Paul around three in the morning, and they had said the same. No bloodsuckers that night.

_You're pathetic, _I could hear Leah scoff as my thoughts filled her head. Everything we had seen that night, the way I had felt when I saw Claire's face, they all knew.

_Leah,_ Jacob warned her.

I was glad to phase back and get everyone out of my head. I pulled up the jumpsuit to my waist and made my way from around the side of Sam and Emily's to Paul's car. I was exhausted, emotionally and phsyically, and not in the mood to talk to anyone. Especially not about what happened in the forest.

Paul went around to the driver's side, pulling his t-shirt over his head. He unlocked the doors and we hopped inside. He paused before he put the keys in the ignition, and turned to look at me, "Was she really there? Claire, I mean."

I nodded my head slowly, "Yeah, it was definitely her. I would know her anywhere. But her smell was so...off. And they just vanished. It was like they had never been there at all. Which is fuckin ridiculous because they couldn't have gone anywhere without making a sound. But there was no trail to follow. Nothing." I sighed and ran my hand over my face. Confusion. Such confusion. I didn't want to think about it anymore.

Paul and I drove back to our apartment complex in silence. When he put the car in park, I opened the door and stepped out, turning to look at him, "I'm gonna go run over to Claire's. To see if she's okay," He gave me a nod. He knew how important it was to keep an imprint safe. Their protection was your number one priority. I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if I didn't know Claire was safe.

I ran towards the trees while stripping off my clothes, and phased. I took off running to the north of the rez, towards Claire's grandmother's home. From the trees in their backyard, I could see the lavender house. All the lights were off, I could hear the refridgerator humming from their kitchen. There were four heartbeats, four sounds of steady breathing. I recognized Claire's immediately, coming from the room on the second floor, with the big window that overlooked the forest. She was safe.

It was a huge relief.

I laid down in the dirt for a few hours, monitoring the house and going over the night's events in my mind. How had she gotten home safely? And what were they doing in the forest anyway? It had been around ten at night, there could have been all sorts of things lurking around in the forest at that time. Things like...me.

I remembered the fear in her eyes, the way her heartbeat and breath quickened as I got closer. She had no idea it was me. And how could she? I was a giant wolf, I looked like a monster. What had she thought when she saw me in the open like that? What did she think she saw?

I snarled, and quieted down again.

Seeing her again had been the greatest feeling in the world. All the pain that I had ever experienced with her gone, completely disappeared. It didn't matter anymore. She was here, sleeping peacefully in the room with big window, in the lavender house. She was safe. It was all I needed to be okay again.

Claire was home.


	5. Chapter 5

I'M SO SORRY EVERYONE! It's been forever since I've updated. It's just my senior year now, and I'm dealing with APs while finishing up college applications. It's a little crazy. But most of my apps are sent in, and with the holidays coming up, I have a lot of time to write this story again, which has been on my mind foreverrr! So here's the next chapter, from Quil's point of view. Expect the nexttt chapter within a few days. Enjoy & please review!

* * *

><p>At Sam and Emily's, everyone was doing something.<p>

Despite the many protests and offers of help from Kim, Rachel, and Embry's imprint, Hannah, Emily was scurrying around the kitchen with her very pregnant belly, making sure everything was perfect. She was cutting bread, marinating the meat, and checking on the pies in the oven, all at the same time. Once Emily got started in the kitchen, you couldn't stop her.

Sam and Jacob were outside setting up the barbeque and getting ready to cook the meat. And soy burgers, which I still have no idea how Claire eats. It's baffled me since day one. Leah was there, too, setting the table that had been moved outside. Some of the newer additions to the pack, Zane and Jackson, were in the living room, trying to entertain Sam and Emily's ten year old twin boys, Chase and Owen. Seth and Jared were out patrolling and due back any minute. Paul and I were doing tag-team dishes. He was washing, I was drying.

Sam and Emily's house felt like a second home to everyone. The little brown house was always warm and welcoming. The door and the guest room were always open for whoever needed it, whenever they needed it. There was always something cooking, whether it be a hardy meal or something sweet, and the smell always put everyone at ease. Everyone was taken care of in Emily's house. She tried to keep everyone happy, and she succeeded.

"You okay?" Paul asked me, looking at me from the corner of his eye. He scrubbed a plate and handed it to me to dry.

This question again. Seriously, everyone had been asking me this today. Even _Leah_, who doesn't give a rat's ass about anyone but herself. This question was constantly in my face, and there really wasn't an answer for it. What was I supposed to say, that I was all fine and dandy? And then jump up into the air and click my heels together in glee?

I let out a huff of hot breath, "Fine."

But I was actually freaking the hell out.

Claire would be here any minute. My imprint, the one I haven't seen in five years, would be here _any minute_. And this time it would be different than seeing her in the forest, while I was a massive, obviously terrifying wolf. This time we could be together after so long.

What would happen then? How would things change? I knew I wanted her to be with me more than anything, so I could keep the little girl I cared for so much safe. Without Claire, things just weren't right. Like the earth revolves around the sun, I revolved around Claire. It was just the whole imprint thing, I couldn't help it. Without Claire to revolve around, things weren't exactly right. I mean, there were holes in my bedroom walls from punching out of frustration, splintered trees in the forest.

But she would be here soon.

I felt Emily's hand on my back.

"Quil, why don't you let Kim take over the drying? You look like you could use a breather," she whispered with kind eyes, her lips turning upward at the ends. She rubbed my back in circles for a moment, and then teetered outside with a plate of food in one hand, and her other on her very pregnant stomach.

How was it that Emily always knew exactly what we needed when we needed it? It may have been the crack in the plate I had been drying from gripping it so hard, but I think it was more than that. Emily had taken such good care of the entire pack through the years, that she considered us to be family. And we were.

I handed Kim the towel and she gave me a sympathetic smile. I ran my hand down my face and sighed. I headed outside and leaned against the wall of the house, focusing on the cold breeze moving through the trees. I could smell rain in the air, hear the leaves rustling together. I began to relax, closing my eyes.

Then the rumbles of a car engine came from down the road. My eyes snapped open. My heart thumped in my chest. I could see Jacob giving me a look. A look that might have said, if he had been in my head, _Control yourself_.

The car pulled into the driveway and the brakes whined in protest as they were slammed on.

She was here.

I listened carefully as four sets of footsteps pattered up the porch. There was a knock at the door.

Emily breezed by with a look of immense happiness on her face and waddled into the house to greet the rest of the Young family. The door clicked open, hellos were said, embraces exchanged, laughter floated all around. More footsteps coming outside. I closed my eyes.

Jacob came to stand by me. He put his hand firmly on my shoulder to steady me, but it didn't work. It felt like something was churning inside me, something was changing. It felt like the earth was shifting under my feet.

When I opened then again, there she was.

She was behind everyone else she had come with. The California sun had given her milky skin a golden glow. Her thick brown hair had grown out to her lower back. Her huge hazel eyes, rimmed by the longest lashes I had ever seen, were darting this way and that. She was searching for something. Her eyes finally settled on me. The world went quiet, and there was nothing but Claire.

Someone hugged her, and she gave them a smile. I focused on her breathing, her heartbeat, her peculiar smell.

There she was, the girl who I drove to her first day of kindergarten. The girl who threw tantrums even when I left the room to take a leak. The girl who, the last time I saw her, had been an awkward, lanky eleven year old whose hair had been messed up by her last cut. The girl from the forest last night, the girl who seemed to fall from the sky.

She came towards me, and into my arms. Everything that had ever been empty in my life was fulfilled again. I felt her slender arms wrap around me and squeeze me tight. Her face pressed into my chest and I ran my hand over her hair. The agony of the last five years had vanished. My everything, my purpose, my world was right here, in my arms.

When she peered up at me with a beautiful smile, my chest swelled with happiness.

"Hi, Quil," she said softly.

"Hey, kiddo." I exhaled.

She pulled back from our embrace and the world started to come back. Everyone chatter around us, exchanging hellos and embraces. I pressed my hand against Claire's thin shoulder, unable to let go of her completely. I saw Jacob smile at me out of the corner of my eye before he turned to say hello to Claire's mother.

When I looked down at Claire, her eyebrows were furrowed together. I was familiar with this face. The thinking face. She had been making this face since she was two. I chuckled, "What are you thinking about?"

"Well, you're supposed to look five years older. And you don't."

I let out a gruff laugh, "Five years and this is the first thing you say to me? What can I say, I age gracefully," As long as we continued shifting, the pack wouldn't age. I looked the same as I did when Claire was a toddler. I was thirty now, but looked like I was in my early twenties.

Claire laughed and it was one of the most beautiful sounds I had ever heard. I couldn't contain my smile. It was so good to have her back.

"Julie, come say hi to Quil," Claire called over her shoulder to her little sister.

Julie and her dark curls bounced towards me, a toothy grin on her face. She was fifteen now, and I was surprised by how much she had grown in five years. She was as tall as Claire now, maybe a little taller. When she was smaller, she used to get in all sorts of trouble. She used to be benched during her recess at school for kissing boys behind the handball courts. Julie was a girl to watch out for. It seemed she was as still as wild as before.

"Hey, Quil!" Julie said, and I wrapped one arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, Jules, good to finally have you back home," I said, and then looked back at Claire, who had a small smile on her face.

The sun was beginning to set behind the trees, and the previously gray sky became a cloudy black. The fire from the fire pit lit up the backyard. The wind picked up a bit and rustled the through the trees. When the clouds would part, they revealed a brilliant starry sky above us.

Sam was busy barbequing the rest of the meat and talking to Claire's grandmother. Emily carried out the rest of the food with Kim and Rachel not far behind her. The long wooden table was full of steaming dishes. Everyone around seemed happy, and for once, so was I.

"Little cousins!" came a booming voice from the trees, and out emerged Seth. Jared wasn't far behind him, and he made a beeline for Kim.

Seth took a few large strides and before he lifted Claire and Julie off of their feet and into his arms, one girl in each. Julie laughed in delight and Claire gave a squeak of surprise before laughing along with them. "I missed you guys like crazy!" Seth said as he gave them a good squeeze before setting them back down.

Jacob came to stand by my side as Claire and Julie went off to say hello to everyone else. "How does it feel?" he asked, nudging me with his elbow.

"You have no idea," I said, as I smiled after Claire. She was bent over, talking to Emily's pregnant belly. It felt amazing. When a wolf imprints, it's like gravity doesn't hold you down any more. She does. Claire does. I had been lost for so long without her to ground me. Everyone was right again.

"Well, at least now you won't be such a miserable bastard all the time," Jake said, running a hand through his black hair.

I tilted my head back and let out a laugh.

He was right.

After a while, Emily managed to get everyone to settle down and we sat around the table. Claire was across from me, with Julie and Sam and Emily's twin boys on either side of her. The light from the fire pit illuminated her face and cast shadows from her long eyelashes down her cheeks. She looked so happy.

I wondered what our relationship would be like now. I had always been a big brother. I potty trained her, I spent hours sprawled on the floor coloring with the little girl. When she reached double digits, I was always the one she went to for advice. She was a young woman now. How would things change?

"I'd like to make a toast," Emily said, raising her water glass with one hand, her other on her stomach. Everyone quieted down. "Livie," she said, looking at her sister with happiness in her eyes, "I'm so happy to have my big sister home again. It's been a rough five years without you. And Claire, Julie, my beautiful nieces, I can't believe how much you two have grown. You're going to love it back here in La Push, I promise. Welcome home, you three!"

Emily was teary-eyed when she finished. Sam put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Everyone clinked their glasses against each other's and began to eat.

"I forgot how much you eat, Quil," Claire said from across the table, nodding at the mountain of steak and mashed potatoes I had on my plate.

I swallowed my mouthful of food and retorted with, "How can you eat _that_?" I nodded to the green-ish soy patty on her plate, surrounded by pile of salad.

"It's not that bad!" she laughed, "Really, it's good, try it,"

I watched with wary eyes as she cut off a piece of the patty with a fork, and leaned over to put it on my plate. I forked the green thing and popped it in my mouth.

Then I almost gagged.

Claire erupted in laughter as I took a long drink of my beer.

"Is being vegan a form of long-forgotten medieval torture or something?" I asked with a smile on my face.

The rest of the night went smoothly. Everyone shared stories about what happened over the last five years. Julie did a lot of talking about life in California, and how she had met a very important celebrity who had been on the Disney channel a few times. Emily brought out dessert and coffee for all the takers towards the end of the night, and some of the younger kids had dismissed themselves to toss around a football or play video games inside.

"Quil, let's go look at the stars from the porch," Claire said, and I couldn't object to her offer. We got up and went through the house to the front. We sat together on the porch steps, and Claire exhaled deeply as she sat down.

"We never get stars like this in California," she said, her face titled up towards the dark sky, which was cluttered with twinkling stars, "I'd almost forgotten how many there were up there."

"How are you holding up, kiddo?" I asked her. She turned to look at me with her big hazel eyes, and paused before she answered.

"I'm…happy," she said, like the word was foreign coming off of her lips, "What about you, Quil?"

"I'm happy, too. I really missed you, kid." Which was unbelievably true. Claire didn't know about the whole wolf thing, so she had no idea what imprinting was. She didn't know the pain I went through for five years without her. She didn't know the immense relief and fulfillment I felt at that moment, sitting with her on the porch, watching the stars.

"I missed you, too."

We sat like that for almost an hour, she told me about life in California while I shared stories about my uneventful existence here in La Push, before Claire's mother poked her head out of the front door and told Claire it was almost time to go.

"Let's go inside so we can say bye to everyone," Claire said, stretching her arms out to me so I could pull her up from her sitting position. We went in and I watched as she went towards Seth and Leah to begin her goodbyes.

"Quil," I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Olivia, Claire's mother, standing by my side.

"It was good to see you again, Olivia," I said, leaning down to hug her with one arm. When we pulled away, she smiled.

"You, too. I'm happy we're back. It'll be good for the girls," she said, and her large brown eyes when towards Claire, who was saying goodbye to Paul and Rachel, "Especially Claire. She's had it rough for a little while. She didn't have many friends in California. It's good that she'll have you again,"

"You haven't told her, have you?" I asked, looking towards Claire as well. Olivia knew about the pack, and she knew that I had imprinted on Claire. Emily had to tell her when I had met Claire for the first time, fourteen years ago, so that she knew I wasn't some creep who liked to hang around toddlers.

"No, I'll leave that one up to you. Not my secret to share," she said, patting me on the arm with a crooked smile, "Bye, Quil. We'll be seeing you soon."

"Yeah," I said, and watched Claire as she circulated the room. I'd have to tell her sometime soon, now that she was back. Maybe not about imprinting at first, but about being a werewolf. I thought of the fear that filled her eyes the previous night, when she had seen me in the forest. She had been terrified. She must have thought I was a monster. It wouldn't be an easy secret to tell.

What had she and Julie been doing in the forest that night anyway? They had appeared out of thin air and disappeared just as quickly. Claire was covered in scratches, like she had fallen out of the trees. Had she? I ran a hand over my short, dark hair and sighed. I didn't know what to make of it.

"Bye, Quil," Claire said as she came up to me. I wrapped her in my arms and felt her cheek press against my chest. It felt so good to hold her there. "I'll call you later," she said, smiling as she let go.

"See you later," I said with a grin, and watched her walk out the door. She got in the car at the driver's side, because her mother had had a beer or two, and she drove away along the dark, twisting street.

I chuckled. Claire could drive now. She'd grown up so much.

It didn't feel like we had spent enough time together. I'd forgotten what it was like to have to say goodbye to your imprint temporarily. It had been a completely different pain when I had to say goodbye for five years, an agonizing pain that overpowered everything else. But this pain was sharp as she walked out of the door, followed by relief that I'd be seeing her again soon.

Claire was here to stay.

The thought of having her about a ten minute drive from my apartment was foreign to me. It would be so easy to function now. It would be so easy to do what I was meant to do, which was be there for her and protect her. I could breathe easy again. It was almost too good to be true.

"Quil, time to patrol," I heard Paul say from behind me.  
>I followed him out to the back, Jacob not far behind us. We ran for the trees, and I felt my body stiffen, then stretch. My joints popped and my nails turned into claws. My back erupted in a chocolate brown pelt, and my face stretched into a muzzle.<p>

Jacob let out a howl, and took off running to lead the pack.

My happy thoughts could be heard by everyone, but I didn't care.

Claire was my gravity, and I was grounded again.


	6. Chapter 6

Next chapter, from Claire's point of view! I couldn't stop writing and had to upload this right away. Claire meets two very important people in this chapter, so pay attention (:! Please read and review!

* * *

><p>The next few days seemed to fly by.<p>

Of course, Julie and I weren't doing any of the flying. When we had come home that night, almost an hour later than we were supposed to and covered in scrapes, mud, and various plant life, the broom had been banned indefinitely. I couldn't complain. Whatever I creature I had seen in the forest was good enough reason to stay far away from the tree line.

I hadn't told Julie about what I had seen that night. I didn't want to scare her. She wasn't good with scary. She cried and couldn't sleep whenever she watched a horror film. Which was slightly amusing, considering she was a witch. But I had also kept it from her because it seemed so unreal. She would have never believed me. At first I had thought it was a bear, with all its fur. But as it got closer, I realized it was a wolf. A big, huge, mutated wolf.

Maybe the wolf and its wolf friend had escaped from some animal testing lab somewhere, and now preyed on things in the forest. I felt a chill go down my spine.

The gray morning light was coming through the large window in my room, which overlooked the forest. It was drizzling lightly. I could hear the soft raindrops hitting the roof above me.

The clock on my dresser read 10:23. I had the day to myself. Mom and Gran went to Auntie Emily's early that morning, and Julie had left not long ago to see a movie in Port Angeles with an old friend. Or should I say ex-boytoy from fifth grade. That girl worried me.

I had tried calling Quil to see if he would hang out with me, but he was busy with work down at the body shop and he had promised to hang out with Embry and Paul afterwards. Upon this news, I pouted in my bed for a good ten minutes and made an unsuccessful attempt at cuddling with Fatty the cat before I decided to get up and shower.

It had been a few days since the barbeque now. I'd forgotten what it was like to feel so much love all at once. Everyone on the rez had really missed us. I hadn't been expecting such a warm welcome, but it was evident in everyone's embraces. They were happy to have us back, and I was happy to be back.

It was my first time actually living on the reservation, since my father wasn't part of the tribe. We had lived a twenty minute drive away, in a town a little past Forks, before my dad had left, and before we had moved to California with David. La Push had always felt like home, though. I had spent most of my childhood in La Push. My earliest memories were in Aunt Emily's house, playing with Quil.

Seeing Quil again was exactly what I needed. He was my best friend, and I had been without him for so long. Being wrapped up in his arms was exactly as I remembered; warm and safe. He was just as tall as I remembered, too, a few inches over six foot. His skin was a deep copper color, and he was just as burly as he had been when I had left. I chuckled, remembering how I always used to joke around and call him a meathead.

Talking to Quil and being around him was like breathing. It seemed to occur naturally, and be necessary function. I trusted Quil like I had never trusted anyone in my life. He was the protective big brother I never had when I was growing up. He put up with my terrible two's, which he has never forgotten to remind me about, and was always there for me whenever I needed anything. He'd been my best friend and the one of the most important people in my life since I could remember. I could tell Quil anything.

Except that I was a witch.

I stepped out of the shower and made my towel floats towards me. It wrapped around my body, and I made my way from the bathroom to my bedroom.

I didn't want Quil to know. Just being exposed to our secret had been enough to send both my father and my mother's fiancé running. They wanted nothing to do with us. They thought that we were freaks. They thought something was wrong with us, that we needed to be under examination by doctors and scientists.

I understood why my mother and Auntie Em had chosen to be non-practicing witches. It had destroyed my mother's marriage and engagement, and Auntie Em didn't want the same to happen to relationship with Sam. Even he didn't know about our secret. I guess it was better that way.

I wouldn't know what to do if Quil found out that I was a witch. I was terrified of being rejected for what I was, especially by Quil. If he was sent running just like everyone before him…

I didn't want to think about it.

Some secrets are better left untold. This was one of them.

I let my towel drop to my feet, and rummaged through my closet. I had finally unpacked everything, and everything hung neatly on their hangers. I pulled on a pair of dark-washed jeans and a light-blue floral top that Julie had gotten for me for Christmas last year. I pulled on a white knit jacket, and made the brush float from its place on the nightstand into my open palm. I ran it through my hair a few times, and then let it float back down to sit on the nightstand. I pulled my hair into a loose French braid, then made my way downstairs.

The house was quiet except for the humming of the refrigerator. I walked down the hallway, looking at all the picture frames that Gran had hung on its walls. A picture of me and Julie when we were little, wearing the same blue dress and giving toothy grins. Pictures of my mother and Auntie Em when they were younger. A picture of me and Quil, playing in the lawn outside of the lavender house. His head was titled back in laughter as I rolled around in the dirt as a toddler. I smiled.

I grabbed the keys to the Gran's old car, which she said I could drive while Mom took our car, and pulled on my black rain boots by the door. I figured I would go into Forks for a while, and explore the town. I would be a few hours before Julie would be home, and until then I would roam around by myself. I didn't mind being alone. It was peaceful.

"Bye, Fatty, I'll be back later!" I called out, and heard the pudge of a cat meow in response before stepping out of the door and into the soft rain.

I hurried towards Gran's old car and got into the driver's side quickly. I put the keys in the ignition, and although it took three good turns to get the car to start, I was rolling down the twisting La Push roads in no time.

I fiddled around for a good radio station while I drove, and settled for a station with some decent alternative rock. I marveled at the beauty of the trees as I drove by them, the way their branches swayed in the chilled wind and dripped with rain drops. There was nothing like this in California.

It didn't take long to reach Forks limits.

I drove into the main part of town and found a good parking spot out front of the used book shop. Perfect. I stepped out of the car and into the light drizzle of rain, cursing myself for not bringing an umbrella.

There were a few people out, wandering the town's streets. Most of them were going to the town's diner to get a late breakfast or early lunch. It was so different from Santa Monica, where people littered the streets with their bodies. Even the weather, which would be sunny and sweltering on any June day in California, was replaced with the rainy morning in Forks. It was like an entirely different world.

I entered the dimly lit book shop and nodded a hello to the old woman who was running the counter.

"Is there anything I can help you find, dear?" she asked. Her nametag said Annabelle.

"No thank you, I'm just looking," I said, smiling at her before slipping away behind an aisle and browsing the shelves.

There was something so comforting about being in a bookstore. I let my fingers trace against the spines of the books, before pulling out a few that looked interesting and reading the back summary.

I must have spent nearly a half an hour in the book shop before I went to the counter to buy a copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It had been a book that my honors English teacher recommended for me, back in California. That's what I had done there most of the time, anyway. I had always had my nose in a book.

Annabelle rang me up, and took the book with a smile on my face, "Thank you,"

"You come again, deary!" she called after me happily as I exited the book shop.

The rain had died down, and left the sky a swirl of gray clouds.

I walked along and browsed through some clothing stores until I found a small café, where a man and a woman sat together, talking intimately over cappuccinos. It was warm and smelled of cinnamon. I walked up to the counter and was greeted by the barista, a blond boy with a handsome face that looked about my age. He gave me a dimpled smile.

"Welcome to the Cozy Café, what can I get you?" he asked. His eyes were a beautiful blue.

"Um, just a green tea, please," I pulled out a few dollars from my wallet and handed it to him.

"Sit down wherever, although our seat selection is pretty limited," he said, motioning to the multitude of empty tables around the café. I gave a laugh and he smiled, "I'll bring you your tea in just a sec,"

I sat down at a table near the front of the café, and pulled out my book. I was just beginning to read the first few pages, when the blond boy came over with my tea. I looked up at him and smiled, "Thank you,"

"Yeah, don't mention it," he said as he set the large teacup in front of me, dimples showing again, "I see you're reading Frankenstein. Excellent choice. It really shows man's struggle against beast as well as man's struggle against self."

"So you've read it, then?" I asked, tucking a loose piece of hair behind my ear.

"Well, I had to read it in English last year. I'm just repeating what my teacher said," he chuckled, and ran a hand through his short blond hair.

I laughed along with him.

"I'm Logan, by the way." His blue eyes were sparkling.

"I'm Claire," I watched as his smile grew, like I had just made his day by telling him my name. I couldn't help but smile back.

"So are you new around here? I mean, this town is pretty small. I'd figure I'd know everyone by now, especially with this café's raging popularity," Logan said, and I laughed again. He was a funny guy.

"Just moved here a few days ago, actually," I said, looking up at him.

"I knew it! I would've definitely remembered your pretty face if I had seen you before," he said, not being shy about his flirting, "Where'd you move from?"

"Santa Monica in California. I lived there for a few years, but I grew up in near La Push. Now I'm back there," I explained, and watched his thin eyebrows rise in interest.

"Well then welcome home, Claire," Logan said, giving me a warm smile, "If you ever need a tour guide for the exciting town of Forks, I'm your man. The folks around here are pretty wild, so you'll need a native to show you around these hard streets,"

I couldn't help but laugh at his playful conversation. Even the people here were different. In Santa Monica, all the cafés were filled with snooty waiters and waitress. They would never have stopped to make conversation like Logan had.

"I like your laugh," Logan said in a lower voice, his smile becoming softer as he looked down at me. Only one dimple showed through.

The door to the café creaked open and the bell attached to the top of it jingled, announcing the arrival of new customers.

"I think you have customers, Logan," I said, a smile on my face as well, "You better get to them,"

"Ahh, you're right," he said with a sheepish grin, "Well, happy reading, Claire," He turned around to great the newcomers, "Welcome to the Cozy Café, just come around to the counter and I'll take your order."

I shook my head with a smile on my lips and took to reading my book again, while letting my tea cool off. I hadn't even finished the first sentence when I was interrupted.

"Claire!" came a happy voice. I looked up to see Jacob, a toothy grin on his face, "What're you doing here, kiddo?" It seemed that being called kiddo had stuck ever since Quil had started it, back when I was still in Pull-Ups.

"Hey, Jake!" I said happily as he made his way to my table, arms outstretched. I rose to hug him, pulled away to see a new face beside him.

She was stunning. Her hair fell to her waist in auburn red curls, and she looked at me with curious brown eyes. Her skin was the alabaster white of a painted China doll and her lips were pink like rosebuds. She was tall and slender, and moved gracefully to Jacob's side, putting her arm through his.

"Nessie, this is Claire," Jacob said, looking down at the beautiful girl beside him with the most loving stare I had ever seen, "I told you about her earlier. Emily's niece, super close with Quil,"

Nessie nodded, and her pink lips turned up at the corners in a sweet smile, "It's really nice to meet you Claire. I've heard a lot about you."

"Nice to meet you, too," I said, wondering it if was really possible and fair among the gene pool for someone to be so pretty.

Nessie looked down at the book I was reading, and back up to me with her chocolate brown eyes, "Frankenstein?" she asked, the smile still on her face.

"Oh, yeah, I just picked it up from the bookstore," I said, looking down at the book myself.

"Good choice," she said, "You'll definitely enjoy it. I've read it a few times myself,"

I nodded and smiled. She was gorgeous _and_ nice. I couldn't decide whether to like or dislike her for this.

"We'll see you later, Claire," Jake said, and they made their way towards the counter. I could see Logan become momentarily stunned by Nessie's beauty before he took down Jacob's order for a coffee.

I sipped my tea and began to read again, only getting beyond the first paragraph before Jake and Nessie said goodbye to me as they left the café.

"I hope to get to know you better, Claire," Nessie said with a smile, before stepping out of the creaky café door. I gave a small wave and watched as Nessie laced her fingers in Jacob's. They disappeared down the street, and I turned back to my book.

I didn't know Jacob had a girlfriend. She was so beautiful, it was almost eerie. Like she wasn't human, but instead some creature out of love poems and stories. As I neared the bottom of the first page, I heard the couple that had been talking close together shuffle around and leave the café.

I felt eyes on me, and looked up with a smile to see Logan leaning over the counter, his cheek resting on his palm, looking in my direction.

"And then there were two," he said, and straightened up. He walked towards my table and smiled at me with those dimples, "Mind if I have a seat?"

"Go for it," I took a sip of my tea, surprisingly happy that he had joined me.

"So you knew those guys that came in?" Logan asked, pulling out the seat across from me and plopping down in it.

"Mhmm," I hummed, "Well, the guy anyway. I've known him since I was really little. He's like an older cousin, I guess. But that was my first time meeting the girl. I didn't know he had a girlfriend," I shrugged. I'd been gone for five years; it wasn't surprising that I had missed a lot.

Logan leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, a crooked smile on his face as he looked at me. Only one dimple again.

"What?" I asked him after a moment of silence, a soft smile coming over my face.

"Nothing. You're just so much prettier than that girl was," he said, his smile reaching his twinkling blue eyes.

I laughed and shook my head, knowing that it was a lie, but thoroughly charmed anyway.

I looked down at my phone and realized three hours had passed since I'd driven down to La Push. Julie would probably be home soon. "I should probably go. My sister will be home soon," I looked back up at Logan with apologetic eyes, not wanting to leave. I wanted to stay and laugh with him some more.

"Ahh, well, here," he said, and pulled a pen out of his apron pouch. He grabbed my napkin, quickly wrote his number on it, and slid it back towards me, "Whenever you're down from the rez and want someone to hang out with, just give me a call. Although, I'll warn you, I'm a pretty popular guy. As you can see," He motioned to the empty café around us.

I giggle and gathered my things, "Bye, Logan,"

"See you soon, Claire," His blue eyes sparkled as I turned to get one last look at his handsome face.

I left the café with barely one page of Frankenstein read, and Logan's number written on my napkin tucked in the book as a bookmark. I couldn't help but smile to myself as I got in the car.

I had felt normal for a little while. I had completely forgotten that I was a witch, completely forgotten that I wasn't like everyone else.

I flicked on the radio without touching the buttons, turned up the volume without touching the dial, and drove back to the lavender house in La Push.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry about the immense wait, everyone! Things have been crazy around here. But I couldn't wait to get back to this story.

But here's the 7th chapter! Something very important happens here. Pay close attention!

The next chapter will be from Quil's POV!

Please read & review :)!

* * *

><p>I pulled into the driveway and saw my mother's car parked on the street in front of the lavender house. She and Gran must be back from Auntie Emily's. I took the keys from the ignition and grabbed the book I had placed on the passenger seat. Logan's number was tucked inside. I smiled to myself. Julie would be so proud.<p>

When I walked inside, a deliciously warm smell wafted in my direction. It smelled of rosemary, nutmeg, and number of other spices. I kicked off my rain boots and followed the smell into the kitchen, where I found Mom, Gran, and Auntie Em sitting around the table. There were cups of steaming herbal tea in front of them. There was a ceramic dish of vegetables roasted in olive oil sitting on the stove top, still hot.

"Claire," my mother said happily, moving her feet that had been resting on the chair beside her, "Come sit with us, we were just talking about you," Her dark, curly hair had been piled on the top of her head in a bun. She looked so much younger. The dark circles underneath her amber eyes were disappearing as the days went by.

"What were you saying?" I asked, walking over and placing my hand in Gran's open palm. Her skin felt papery against mine as she rubbed the top of my hand with her thumb. A wrinkled smile took her lips and crinkled the skin around her green eyes.

"How beautiful you've become," Auntie Em said with a smile from behind her teacup. Her dark, wavy hair was pulled back into a long braid. She had the same amber eyes as my mother, and the same olive complexion. She was glowing with the happiness of pregnancy.

"I'm gonna go put my stuff away and be right back," I said with a smile, and move towards the stairs.

"Julie should be home soon!" my mother called after me as I climbed the stairs.

"Kay!" I called back, and walked into my room to add Frankenstein to my collection of books. Just as I let the book float out of my hand and towards the low bookshelf near the window bed, I noticed something…off. Frankenstein began to quiver in midair as I lost focus, and it dropped to the floor with a thud. Its slightly yellowed pages fanned open. The napkin with Logan's number written on it landed on the floor beside it.

The temperature was much colder than the rest of the house. I looked towards the window, to see if I had accidentally left it open while I had been gone. It was shut, with raindrops rolling down the glass pane outside. I walked into the center of the room, and picked up the book and the napkin that had fallen to the floor. I placed it on the bookshelf, then turned to inspect the rest of the room.

I peeked under my bed to see the large spellbook Gran had given me, untouched and safe in its hiding place. My bed was just the way I left it, messy and unmade, with Fatty sitting atop the blankets. His orange tail flicked back and forth and he watched at me with big yellow eyes.

I turned towards my dresser.

My music box was lying on its side, the top laying open, revealing a small, ceramic ballerina on a spring. Her arms were stretched above her head, and she stood on the toes of one of her delicate, pink feet. My father had given it to me a long time ago, and I used to fall sleep every night to the melody it played. But I hadn't opened it in years.

How had it ended up on its side like that? I peered over at Fatty, who was watching me with curious yellow eyes. Had he knocked it over? I shook my head. Fatty couldn't jump that high. He could barely catapult himself onto the couch anymore.

I set down Logan's number on the dresser top and turned the music box in my hands. I twisted the knob on the bottom. When I set it back down on the dresser, I watched as the ballerina slowly began to spin. The soft melody of Claire de Lune tinkled along as the ballerina danced.

"Claire."

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I turned around to see Julie leaning against the door frame, a confused look on her face. She was wearing a white sweater dress and black leggings, and her dark hair hung in soft curls around her face.

"Julie! You scared the crap out of me!" My hand rushed to my chest, where they fell over my thumping heart. I hadn't even heard her come in. I turned back to the dresser and lowered the top of the music box. The ballerina stopped spinning and the soft, classical tune came to an end.

"I can see that," Julie said, flopping down on my bed and leaning back into the pillows, "What were you doing, anyway?" She tried to get Fatty to come over to her, but he got up and waddled to the other end of the bed.

"Nothing. You didn't knock over my music box, did you?" I asked, joining her on the bed. I looked up at the ceiling, letting my hands rest on my stomach.

"No, I just got home." Julie said, stretching out her body and moving over to my side, resting her head on my thighs, "Why're you so paranoid?"

I didn't answer her. I had been jumpy ever since I had seen that mutant wolf in the forest. It was probably nothing. "How was your date?" I asked, changing the subject as I played around with her curls. It was so easy for Julie to transition wherever she was, whether it was in California or Washington. She was sure of herself, even if she was only fifteen.

"It wasn't a date, Claire," she said, a smile on her face as she rolled her big, amber eyes, "It was simply meeting up with an old friend."

"Yeah, sure," I said, giving a laugh, "An old friend that you made out with."

Julie scoffed, looking offended. But a guilty smirk overcame her lips, "I would _never_ do that!"

We laughed together.

"What did you do today?" Julie asked, flipping over on to her stomach and resting her cheek in her palm, "Please tell me you didn't spend the day moping around with Fatty."

"You will be happy to know that I actually went down to Forks and was shamelessly flirted with by a very cute boy," I smiled, thinking of the way Logan had made me laugh, "And he gave me his number."

Julie squealed with delight, "No way! What does he look like? Name?" Her brown eyes lit up. She had had too many boyfriends to count, while I, on the other hand, had had none. Not only had my little sister surpassed me by an entire bra size, but she was much more experienced in the boy department than I was.

"His name is Logan," I said, and Julie nodded in approval, "He's super cute and blond, and has these amazing blue eyes. And he has _dimples_." I got a flutter in my stomach.

"Next time you go down to Forks, take me! I guess that's where all the good ones are hiding out," Julie said, running her fingers through her hair, "But what about Quil?"

I was surprised, "What about him?"

"Well, he's _hot._"

"_Quil?" _I had never thought of Quil in that way.

"Yeah, did you see his muscles at the barbeque? Of course you did, you were with him all night. He was practically busting out of his t-shirt. And his smile is to die for," Julie said, letting out a big, dreamy sigh, "You need to learn to appreciate a real man, Claire. I worry for your future."

"You make me want to levitate heavy objects and make them fall on your head," I said with a laugh, giving her a playful shove.

"Girls, come down here!" called our mother's voice from downstairs.

Julie hopped up from the bed, and outstretched a hand to pull me up.

"C'mon, Fatty, let's go downstairs," I said as I followed Julie out of the room, turning back to watch the obese cat make a half-hearted leap off of the bed and onto the floor. His tail swished from side to side as he teetered out of the room. I took a last look at the music box on the dresser before going downstairs and entering the kitchen.

"Claire met a boy today!" Julie announced with pride as she walked into the kitchen, interrupting the soft chatter of Gran and Mom. Auntie Emily stood over the stove, making two plates of the roasted vegetables for me and Julie.

I rolled my eyes with a smile, and took a seat next to Gran. I felt Fatty rub himself against my ankles before he lay out under the table, where he waited to snatch any food that may fall to the floor.

"Did you?" my mother asked, and her eyebrows rose with interest.

"I went down to Forks today just to get out of the house. I met him in a little coffee shop," I said, smiling up at Auntie Em as she placed the plate of food in front of me, "He was really nice."

"And she got his number!" Julie said, plopping down in the chair next to me and leaning her back against me.

Auntie Emily sat back down in her seat after setting another plate down in front of Julie. She rubbed her protruding belly with one hand, smiling happily. Auntie Emily had been a huge part in my life when I was younger. Before we had moved, I was at her house almost every day. She took care of me and Julie when my mom was busy. Just being around her gave me a warm feeling, like I was safe.

"Auntie, have you thought of any names for the baby?" I asked, attempting to shift the subject away from my meeting with Logan. It was strange talking about boys with my entire family. I had had crushes before, and a boyfriend for a bit back in California, but the only boy I ever really talked about was Quil. The change in conversation seemed to work as everyone piped up with suggestions of names.

"I love the name Madison!" Julie said through a mouthful of food.

My mom crinkled her nose at Julie's suggestion, "How about something cute like Lucy or Scarlet?"

"She needs a name with meaning," Gran said, folding her veiny hands together, "Julia means youth, Claire means brightness and clarity. Their names are who they are. My last granddaughter needs a name just as powerful."

"What about you, Claire? What do you think?" Auntie Emily asked me, her brown eyes bright and excited.

"I like the name Lilah," I said, "Like lilac flowers. I think it's a pretty name."

"Lilah," she said thoughtfully, patting her stomach as a smile came over her full lips, "I like that."

"Auntie, what if the baby turns out to be a witch like me and Claire?" Julie asked, bringing her legs up and sitting Indian-style on her chair.

Auntie Em sat there for a moment, thinking, and then finally said, "Well, I guess I'd do the same thing as your mother. I'd have to start practicing magic again so I could teach her how to use her gift. And I'd have to tell Sam,"

"Why haven't you told him?" I asked softly, unsure whether or not it was appropriate to ask or not. Auntie Emily and Uncle Sam were so in love, and they always had been. I couldn't imagine having that kind of love and keeping that kind of secret.

"I made a decision to stop practicing magic a long time ago, before I met Sam." she said with a soft smile, "I've never felt the need to tell him. It's not who I am anymore."

"Mortal men are wussies, anyway. They get a taste of magic and they run away with their tails between their legs. When I married your father I was hoping the whole witch thing would skip over you girls," my mother said, shaking her head with a sigh, "But I guess that plan didn't work."

"Skip over them? How could it possibly have skipped over them?" Gran said, her voice raspy but full of outrage, "These girls come from a long line of pure magical blood. There was no way this gift was simply going to skip over them."

"Oh, Mama," my mother said with an exhausted voice, "Don't start. Not all of us think magic is as great as you make it out to be. Plus, it skipped over Emily's boys!"

I could tell Auntie Emily was holding her tongue.

"Magic is a gift that has been passed down in our family for generations, traced back to the beginning of our lineage. We're a very noble family among the magical community." Gran said, her green eyes sparkling with excitement, "One of the oldest magical families to date. You should be proud to carry the Young name. The Young's have always used our powers for good, never evil. That's why you girls must be trained to use your gift correctly. Your mother and aunt have decided to throw away this gift and not accept who they truly are,"

"Mama…" Auntie Emily began, putting her hand over Gran's.

"My granddaughters need to know why magic is so important," Gran protested, shooting my mother a look that told her not to say a word, "Magic is a gift that regular humans dream of having. You girls possess this gift, and you can and will do immense goodness with it. I have faith in that."

Her piercing green eyes looked directly at me.

"Witches have been forced into hiding for many centuries now, condemned by society. But you should be proud of your magic, girls. There is nothing to be ashamed of." Gran took a deep breath at the end of her speech, as if the fervor of her words had winded her.

"Oh, Mama," Auntie Em said with worry, her brows furrowing, "You can't overdo yourself like this."

Gran's breathing was heavy, almost a panting, "I need to lay down,"

Auntie Em and my mother shot up from their seats, the chairs making a whining noise as they scraped against the tile floors. My mother put an arm around Gran and helped her up, and Emily followed them out of the room with a hand on Gran's back.

"Be right back, girls," our mother said softly, giving us a wink as if nothing was wrong.

It was hard to see Gran like this. Taking care of her was part of the reason we moved back to La Push; it was hard for Gran to even get around the house. Before we had left she was a strong, healthy woman. The change was so immense, that it almost took me by surprise as I watched her limp out of the kitchen with my mother and Auntie Em.

I got a pang of worry in my heart, "I hope Gran is okay,"

Julie nodded and leaned her head against my shoulder, "She's really sick, isn't she?"

"Mhm," I hummed. I thought back to when Gran gave me her spellbook when we arrived in La Push. I never realized that it might be because she wouldn't have a use for it anymore.

"Claire?" Julie said, looking at me with huge amber eyes, "Do you ever wish you weren't a witch?"

I thought for a moment before answering honestly, "Yes. I just…remember when Mom used to cry through the night until she fell asleep? When Dad left and then David left? I just don't want it to be like that for me."

I remembered the many nights I had stayed up, nursing my mother's broken heart. Through the thin walls of our apartments in California, she could be heard sobbing over the men who she loved so much, who had both rejected her because she was a witch. Because _we _were witches.

We barely heard from Dad, except on birthdays. Sometimes we would get cards in the mail. He had a new family now; a brand new wife and a new daughter who was five. He wanted nothing to do with us when he found out we were witches. We didn't even tell him we were moving back to Washington.

I didn't want to be left again.

A part of me could understand why Mom and Auntie Em had decided to become non-practicing witches. It was so much easier to protect your heart from being broken that way.

And that was my greatest fear.

"I'm proud that I'm a witch," Julie said with certainty in her voice, "I don't want to let Gran down. I want to make her proud, don't you?" She had the same furrow in her brow that Auntie Em got when she was worried.

"More than anything," I said, running a hand through my hair and letting out a long sigh. I wanted to make Gran proud. Especially when no one knew how much time she had left. Just thinking about life without Gran made my stomach lurch.

Julie was quiet for a moment, her cheek pressed against my arm. Then she said, "Can we go upstairs? Let's read magazines in my room," She hopped up and turned to leave the kitchen. Fatty slinked along slowly behind her.

I nodded and followed her up the stairs, listening to the soft chatter of Mom, Auntie Emily, and Gran from the downstairs bedroom. The rain hit the roof and made a gentle _shhh_ sound. I realized just how much I had missed the downpour while we had lived in California.

"I have Seventeen and Comso Girl and…" Julie trailed on as she walked into her room, which was littered with clothes already.

I stopped before the open door of my room and looked at the music box sitting on my dresser. It was still so strange how I had found it when I had gotten home. I hadn't opened it in years.

"Claire, c'mon," Julie said from her doorway, waving me into her room, "What're you looking at?"

"Nothing," I shook the thought from my head.

I was probably overreacting after our encounter with those massive wolves in the forest. I could still see the large, chocolate brown creature standing before me. I couldn't help but get the chills.

"Pass me a Seventeen," I said, and watched as it levitated towards me from a pile on Julie's floor.

I plopped down on the floor and pretended to be a normal girl, if only for a little while.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so sorry, everyone! I know I haven't updated in ions, and I've been thinking about this story everyday. My mom was diagosed with cancer, and my whole life was kind of put on hold. But she's in remission, and things are returning to normal. I'm so sorry for making everybody wait. I was as eager to continue the story as all of you. I'm back for good, and chapter 9 should be up within the next few days! This story is only getting started!

This chapter is from Quil's POV, and I had so much fun writing it. I hope you guys get as many giggles out of it as I did.

Please enjoy and leave reviews! I love any and all feedback :).

* * *

><p>It had been almost two weeks since Claire had returned to the rez, and we hadn't had much time together.<p>

I had stopped by her grandmother's a few times during the week, after work at the shop, but we hadn't had time for just us. Back when she was a little kid, which didn't feel like too long ago, we made Saturdays our day. I would clear up whatever I had going on that day, make sure she'd finished all her homework, and we'd spend the day together.

Today was Saturday.

Although I had a stable job at the shop and patrol that I couldn't skip out on just because, I couldn't wait to be with Claire. We still had the night, and she was sixteen now. I'm guessing her bedtime wasn't nine o'clock anymore.

I thought of the Saturdays we spent when she was younger, sneaking out to the ice cream parlor even though she was vegan, or going down to the beach to collect seashells to add to her collection. Saturdays became my favorite day of the week.

_All this crap about imprints makes me sick, _came Leah's voice in my head. She let out a snarl and ran ahead, Seth trailing not far behind.

I dug my taloned claws in the moist earth and followed after. The strong, chilled wind felt good as I ran against it, passed the many trees of the forest and towards the coastal line. I could smell the salt in the wet air. It was near sunset, and the cloudy sky was turning pink as the sun descended.

The night before we had chased a bloodsucker until they had taken the easy way out and dove into the ocean. She wasn't one I had seen before; she had long blond hair and bright red eyes. Sometimes we would get new bloodsuckers just crossing the territory that easily ran when we made ourselves known, but this one was different. When she sensed us, she sent Jared flying against the trees, and slammed into Paul; breaking a few of his ribs. We lost her when she a made a dive into the ocean, and we had been patrolling the coastline ever since.

She was a threat. For our people and for us. But nothing we couldn't handle.

While Paul and Jared were healing up, we had some newbies covering their shifts. We had to use everyone in a situation like this. We had even asked the Cullen's if they knew anything of her, and came up with no answers.

It had been a while since we'd come across a vampire who was looking for trouble.

_Nothing, _I heard Seth's voice in my mind as we came to a halt.

We had stopped at a cliff's treeline, overlooking the beach below us. The ocean was a slate grey and the waves were calm. There was one couple walking along the shore hand in hand. No trace of a bloodsucker anywhere.

_Yeah, but you can still smell her on the trees,_ I thought.

The smell was so sickly sweet it was near-nauseating. Even after spending hours with the Cullen's, the smell was still foreign to my nose. I didn't know how Jake could stand it, being around them day after day. I never got used to it, no matter how many vampires we ran out of La Push, and I don't think I ever would. Hopefully it would wash away in the evening rain.

_The sun is setting. Our shift is over,_ Leah thought as her ear perked up. She was listening to the soft and quick footsteps coming in our direction.

It was Embry and two of the relatively new werewolves, Nick and Zane. Embry was telling them to stay close and breathe quietly, and Zane was grumbling about the commands. This kid was a trouble-maker who didn't like to follow directions. He reminded me of Leah.

Leah turned and snapped at me with her muzzle. I let out a barking laugh.

_You guys can go, we'll take it from here, _Embry thought as he came to a stop in front of us.

_She didn't show herself, so you guys should be fine. But be on the alert, _Leah warned them as she turned back the way we came, _And don't do anything stupid, Zane._

He let out a grunt that Embry quickly silenced with a snarl of his own.

I followed after Leah and Seth brought up the rear as we dashed through the forest towards Sam and Emily's. The rain was picking up and the sky was getting darker as the sun continued to set. The first stars of the night were peeking out behind the dark clouds.

I couldn't wait to call Claire.

The passed by her grandmother's home while on patrol the other night, and watched through her big bedroom window as she and Julie danced around to some pop song with a thumping bass. She was so much happier here in La Push, and I could tell as she twirled around her room.

We came to the treeline before Sam and Emily's and I phased back, pulling on the jeans I had tied around my leg before I made my way into the open. I could smell meat roasting in the oven and felt my stomach grumble. I felt bad about not staying to eat another one of Emily's amazing meals, but I needed some time with Claire.

"Thank God you're out of my head," Leah grumbled, pulling a shirt over her bare torso, "If I have to hear anything more about your _imprint_ I might kill myself." She turned and made her way inside, a scowl on her face.

Leah was always bitter when it came to imprinting, and I could understand why. She was faced with heartbreak every day. Everyone knew about the grudge she held against Sam and Emily for being so in love, and bound together by imprinting. Leah had been cast aside and rejected, and she had to live with seeing both of them every day.

Which must suck.

"Leah's been extra grumpy lately," Seth said from behind me, shaking the dirt from his hair, "I don't think it's gross hearing you guys think about your imprints. It kinda makes me wish I had one. It must be nice caring about someone so much."

"You're a good kid, Seth," I said with a smile, patting him on the back. Even as the years had passed, Seth hadn't changed. He was still the genuinely kind kid he had always been. He saw the good in everything and everyone.

I followed him inside and passed through the kitchen, where Emily stood over the counter, chopping up potatoes. She turned when she heard me and Seth, a big smile on her face. The glow of her skin from happiness and the baby girl inside her make her scars hardly noticeable. I looked at her with awe; she was six months pregnant and still able to cook enough food for a whole pack of wolves. Emily was one tough woman.

"Seth, Quil! Welcome back!" she set down her knife and embraced Seth, then turned to me with open arms, "I have some meat in the oven and I'm starting the mashed potatoes. There's bread and butter on the table if you want some."

"Ahh, you're the best, Em!" Seth made a beeline for the table, and scooped up three bread rolls, "I'm starved!"

I pulled away from Emily's embrace and she touched my arm, "You're looking a lot better, Quil. It makes me happy." Her warm smile was contagious.

"Yeah, it's been a lot easier." It was true. I had been miserable without Claire near me, but I didn't have to worry anymore. She was on the rez, a ten minute drive from Emily's house. I could protect her, and just knowing that made it easier to breathe.

"Are you going to go see her tonight?" Emily asked, a small smile on her face as she turned to put some chopped up potatoes into the pot on the stove. I noticed her wavy hair was hanging to her waist in a ponytail, instead of her usual braid.

"Yeah, I hope that's okay," I said, feeling a bit guilty when she had spent so much time making such a meal.

"Of course it's okay, Quil!" she said, turning to me with a big smile on her face, one hand on her belly, "Say hello to my beautiful niece for me. I _would _say that I'd save you some leftovers, but with Seth's appetite growing day by day, I don't think there will be anything left."

I looked to see the bread basket, which had been full before we walked in, completely empty. Seth shoved the last roll in my mouth and managed, "Sorry!"

I chuckled, running a hand over my hair, "Thanks, Em. I'll come and stop by tomorrow." I grabbed my keys from the counter and turned to go, waving goodbye to Seth and Leah, who were lounging on the sofa with Emily's twin boys.

"Tell Claire I say hi!" Seth said, through a mouthful of bread.

"Quil!" I heard Emily call from the kitchen, "Have fun!"

I couldn't shake the smile off my face as I walked out to my car.

I unlocked the driver's side and hopped in the old truck. I had fixed this truck up a few months ago, after my other car got crushed mid-pursuit of a vampire during patrol one night. I had bought it off a guy who came into the shop pretty regularly. It was creaky, but it was good enough for me.

I grabbed my phone off the dashboard and called Claire. After the first two rings, I heard her muffled laughter and squealing.

"Julie, stop tickling me! Quil is on the phone!"

I chuckled a bit myself, "You okay, Claire-bear?"

I could hear Julie yelling something about a shirt in the background, and Claire set down the phone to yell something back at her little sister.

I shook my head, a smile on my face. Julie and Claire had always been two very different girls. When they were younger, I used to watch both of them all the time. Julie had always been a handful, demanding that random little boys accept her hand in marriage, and throwing numerous tantrums whenever we left the park. Claire, however, would sit quietly on my knee and only ever cry if I had to leave her side. She was a good girl then, and still was now.

"Be classy, Jules!" Claire yelled at her sister, "Sorry, Quil. Julie has a date tonight and she's being difficult."

"A date already? You guys have only been here for two weeks," I said, surprised. Julie sure did work fast. It was kind of amazing, really. The girl was only fifteen and she had had more boyfriends than I could count on my fingers and toes.

"Yup, apparently she's reconnecting with an ex," Claire let out a small sigh, and then her voice perked up, "But hey, how was work? You're off now, right?"

"Work was uneventful," I said, thinking about the patrol that led us to no answers. That blond vampire had made herself drop off the grid, and she didn't want to found. But I had a feeling that we would be seeing more of her soon. Now the Cullen's had a heads-up, and Alice was watching carefully for her. We'd be prepared for whatever games the bloodsucker wanted to play, and we'd win.

"I bet you're starving," she said, taking me out of my thoughts.

"You don't even know, kid," I laughed, feeling my stomach rumble. I put the keys in the ignition of the truck and got the engine running, "I was thinking we could go to the usual place. What do you say?"

"I say yes!" Claire said, and I pictured the sweet smile that would be on her face. I couldn't wait to see it in person.

"I'll be there in a heartbeat," I said before we hung up, and pulled out of Sam and Emily's dirt driveway onto the gravel road.

When Claire was a little girl, I used to take her to a little run-down diner, called Scotty's, on the other side of the rez all the time. We had started going there when she was seven, because Embry had a part-time job there for a while. And they had the biggest burgers for the best price. But the diner had become our place over the years, even after Embry quit. After Claire moved, I was still a regular at the diner, but it was never the same without her.

The sky had turned a deep navy, full of stars. I cranked down the window and was glad to feel the cold wind on my skin. There was the earthy smell of rain in the air, and halfway through the drive it began to drizzle.

I flicked on the radio and tuned it to some rock station, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel with the beat.

It was supposed to rain hard tonight, and with two newbies on their first big night shift, I was a little worried. Zane was shitty at following orders and Nick was clumsy. If they did get a trail on the blond bloodsucker, Embry wouldn't be able to do it on his own. With Paul and Jared still recovering, Jake and I offered to be back up if they needed it.

But I really wanted to spend my night with Claire.

It wasn't long before I pulled up to the lavender colored house. It was surrounded by a flower garden that somehow thrived despite Washington's constant downpour. An array windchimes hung up from the porch, making one big song as they swayed together in the night's wind.

I took the keys out of the ignition before reaching behind my seat for a t-shirt. I usually kept spare shirts in the truck, in case I phased with one on.

Or if I forgot to wear one.

Which actually happened lot.

I hopped out of the truck and pulled the shirt over my head before walking up to front door. I had barely rapped my knuckles against the door before Claire's mother, Olivia, stood before me. She held a glass of red wine in the palm of her hand and had a raunchy romance novel tucked under her arm.

"Quil!" she said, a dreamy look in her eyes from the wine, "It's so good to see you! Look at you, busting out of your shirt! Come on in,"

I chuckled and stepped through the doorway, ducking so that my head didn't hit the wooden frame, "Hi, Olivia. Staying in tonight?"

"Yep, I'm just going to sit and wallow in my lack of romance for the night," she said, pushing her curly hair away from her face with a lazy smile on her face, "Claire's upstairs, go ahead and grab her. And make sure Julie doesn't look like a prostitute, if you could." She waved a hand above her head in the general region of the stairs, the wine sloshing around dangerously in her glass.

I shook my head and let out a husky laugh, "Will do."

I patted Olivia on the shoulder and watched as she turned down the hallway and disappeared into the living room, her steps slow and a little clumsy.

I made my way up the stairs, where I could hear the muffled noises of Claire and Julie arguing about something. I took my time, examining the familiar photos that hung on the wall leading up the staircase. The pictures of Olivia and Emily when they were little girls, smiling at the camera with missing teeth and matching braids. The picture of Claire and Julie when they were little, sitting in a bubble bath together with soap all over their faces. The old black and white photograph of Claire's grandmother when she was young, looking beautiful and just like Claire.

I listened for a moment behind the door, pausing before I tapped my knuckles against it.

"You can't just suck the color out of it," I could hear Claire say.

"But my shirt looks so much better in this color! Don't you think?" came Julie's voice.

"Jules, seriously, put the color back."

I wrinkled my brow at this strange banter, and knocked softly on the door, "Hey, Claire, it's me. Ready to go?"

The door quickly swung open to reveal a scanty-clad Julie. Her curly hair was pulled up in a bun, revealing the deep v-neck of her blue sweater. She smelled like her mother's perfume, and her shorts could hardly be called shorts. More like another set of underwear on top of the ones she was already wearing.

If she was wearing any, that is.

"Hey Quil," she said nonchalantly, pushing past me and into the hallway, "You kids have fun tonight." Julie sauntered into her room, clicking the door shut behind her.

I stood in the doorway, momentarily stunned by Julie's choice of outfit, before stepping into Claire's room, "When your mom said Julie might look like a prostitute, I thought she was kidding."

Claire sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed, dressed in yoga pants and a sweatshirt that said 'Santa Monica High School' on the front. Her sleek brown waves were let down, falling over her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, fingertips pressed to her temples.

I chuckled and sat beside her, vaguely wondering if she had changed her normal blue comforter out for an identical white one. I shook off the thought as she opened her big hazel eyes, rimmed by dark, long lashes, and looked at me. I turned soft at her gaze and wrapped my arm around her thin shoulders, glad to have her so close to me at last.

"Sometimes I just want to punch Julie in the face," Claire sighed, leaning into me. I took in a deep breath of her smell: lavender, the light floral scent of her favorite perfume, and something else that I couldn't place. It had been driving me nuts ever since she got to La Push. Something was different; I just had no idea what it was.

"She's a tough one, I don't blame you," I said, letting out a laugh.

"I missed you," Claire said softly, and I nearly turned into mush. It was these moments that I lived for, that gave my life meaning. All I needed to keep going was to be needed by her.

"I missed you more, kiddo." She had no idea. I squeezed her shoulder softly, a smile on my face, "Well, I'll tell you what. How about we talk more about your desires to beat up your sister over a plate of French fries?"

She pretended to consider this for a moment, "Very tempting. I don't think I can pass that one up."

"Good, because I'm growing faint from hunger," I mimicked a fan with hand, and we both started laughing. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face if I tried. Claire's laughter, like a little tinkling bell, was the greatest sound I'd ever heard.

But I really was starving.

I felt my stomach gurgle and growl, complaining about its emptiness. The patrol had really worn me down, and I could have really used a huge burger from Scotty's.

"Lemme throw some jeans on," Claire said as she hopped up from her bed. She walked towards the closet and pulled out a jacket and a pair of dark jeans, "Talk to me while I change?"

I nodded and watched as she stepped into the bathroom attached to her room, then turned my attention to the rest of her room. She had a glass jar full of seashells, mostly ones we'd picked together off the La Push shores, sitting on her dresser beside the music box her father gave her. Her bookshelf was full; now stocked with authors like Austen and Picoult instead of Dr. Seuss. Her walls were bare and still in progress; the only pictures hanging were a large photo of the Santa Monica pier on canvas, and a shot of me and Claire from the barbeque at Sam and Em's around two weeks ago.

"How was work?" I heard Claire ask from the bathroom as she changed.

"It was good. Exhausting." I called back, distracted, moving off her bed and to the picture of us. Emily must have developed the pictures from that day and given this one to Claire not too long ago.

It was the two of us, completely candid, pulling away from our first embrace in five years. I was looking down at her with my hands on her dainty shoulders, a soft look on my face and mouth half-open as if I was saying something. Claire looked absolutely stunning, her brown waves falling down to her mid-back and her milky skin contrasting against my deep tan. Her hazel eyes peered up at me as she gave me the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.

While looking at that photo, it was as if I was seeing Claire as a young woman for the first time. How hadn't I realized it earlier? Claire had always been pretty as a kid, but she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was almost seventeen, and was absolutely gorgeous. And I wasn't just saying that because she was my imprint, but because she was truly, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Auntie Em gave that to me," I heard Claire behind me, and turned to see the beautiful girl from the photograph standing in front of me. The jeans she had changed into tightly hugged her slender legs and hips, and the olive green of her jacket made her hazel eyes seem even lighter.

"What?" I managed, almost breathless, while not taking my eyes off her. I could feel something shift within me, and I had no idea what it was.

"The picture, meathead," she said, giggling. That beautiful smile came over her face.

"Oh."

"Okay, we seriously need to get some food in you. I think your current state of emaciation is making you all weird," Claire said with a crooked smile. She walked over to her closet and pulled on a pair of brown ankle boots, quickly tying the laces.

"That must be it," I said under my breath, rubbing a hand over my face and letting out a big exhale. I tried to shake the weird feeling I was getting. She was probably right: I just need some food in my system.

"Claire, I'm leaving! Caleb's waiting in his car outside." Julie announced, suddenly in the doorway of Claire's room. She had traded out her barely-there shorts for a pair of black jeans, thank God. She let her curls down from her bun, and was wearing a sweater identical to the one she had on before, except in white instead of blue.

"I see you changed," Claire raised an eyebrow at her sister, who gave her a smug smile before disappearing down the stairs.

"Have fun on your date!" I called after Julie, shaking my head and running my hands over my hair. When turned around to face Claire, I noticed something…off. I stared at her bed in disbelief, wondering if I was really so hungry that it was making me see things, "Wasn't your comforter white just a second ago?"

Claire furrowed her brow and gave me a small smile, giving me the sympathetic look you give someone you think is crazy, "Quil, you really must be out of it. It's always been blue." She shook her head and came over to me, placing her hand on my arm, "C'mon, let's go to Scotty's. I could really use those fries right now, and apparently so could you."

"Apparently," I said, letting out a sigh and cracking a smile. I was probably just feeling weird from being exhausted and starving after a long day of patrol, I told myself. I wasn't going crazy. My stomach gurgled at the thought of one of the gigantic burgers at Scotty's, and I started to follow Claire out of her room. Before flicking off the lights, I took one last took of the photo of us, and then looked back at Claire.

It was crazy how much she had grown up. She had turned into the beautiful girl in the photograph. I watched as she stopped on the stairs, looking up at me with her hazel eyes. She ran a hand through her dark hair, which had been lightened only slightly by the California sun. I could see the soft sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheeks, barely noticeable unless you looked closely. She was beautiful.

"Quil, let's go," she said, a small smile on her face.  
>"Comin'," I made my way down the stairs behind her, pressing my hand into the small of her back. It was like I was seeing and touching Claire for the first time, and I felt something swell in my chest. I couldn't make sense of the feeling. We called our goodbyes to Olivia, who barely looked up from her romance novel, and then walked out the door. I was glad to get outside and feel the night's cool wind on my face.<p>

I put my arm around Claire, pulling her close as we walked to my beat-up truck. I was glad to be spending my Saturday night with Claire, just like old times. I pushed the strange feeling I had, the worry about the pack and the bloodsucker running loose, and took a second to enjoy the moment. Claire was in my arms, safe and sound, and that's all I'd ever needed.

"I really missed you, Claire."

"I missed you, too, Quil."


End file.
